| Sunflower by Martha Powers |
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Martha Powers’ book, Sunflower,
1998, focuses on a child molester that prefers pre-teen blond, blue-eyed
girls. So far he has
raped and killed four girls. The
time is quickly approaching for the killer to claim another victim. The Chief of Police Henry
Harker realizes time is running out.
He adds Lieutenant Sheila Brady to the investigative task force to get a
new angle on the investigation.
Brady is a single mother with a pre-teen, blond, blue-eyed daughter,
Meg, which provides extra incentive for her to catch the serial killer before
he strikes again.
Powers masterfully sets the scene of the small Wisconsin
city of River Oaks, where everyone is preparing for and looking forward to the
Sunflower festival including the killer. The type of town anyone would want to live in, if a serial
child molester/killer were not on the loose. The setting of the story allows for the interaction of
her characters that one would not be able to accept from a large city setting. Strangers stand out, so the killer
must be a local. In River
Oaks there are no secrets, and everyone knows everyone. But there must be someone with a
secret because one of them rapes and kills young girls. Maybe they just haven’t looked
far enough back in the city’s history.
Powers second mystery book is suspenseful and entertains. She
keeps the reader guessing. Her
ending is not predictable, and should catch the reader by surprise.
Bruce G. Smith 9/2/2009
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