Secondhand Smoke

Olson's focus isn't on the case, it's not about the mystery for her. This is Annie's story–it's about what happens to her (and those around her) while she investigates/reports on this case.

Annie Seymore is a single woman, pushing 40; a life-long resident of New Haven, CT; and a newspaper reporter getting tired of it all (I look really forward to seeing how that progresses in further novels in particular–especially in light of all the industry troubles). This particular novel finds her between relationships–still dealing with the detrius of her last as she begins her next. While reading, I thought Olson focused too much on that, but in retrospect, I think I was wrong. Not sure why it struck me that way.

Of course Annie has her share of family issues (who doesn't?). She has a strong relationship with her father–who seems to have some connections with certain nefarious types. Things with her mother are more strained–an upstanding member of the community, lawyer, who happens to be dating the new publisher of Annie's paper.

Oh yeah, the mystery, can't forget that–a neighborhood institution, an Italian restaurant, burns down on Thanksgiving across the street from Annie's apartment. A body is found inside, but the building collapses before the firemen can retrieve it. This sets off a domino effect involving illegal gambling, animal rights protesters, the Mob, the FBI, and of course, Annie and her circle.

This book did have the misfortune of being the book I started within the same hour that I finished Val McDermid's rather intense, The Mermaids Singing, so I spent the first 75-100 pages thinking how lightweight it was. True, comparatively speaking, it is–but that's a good thing, Annie's not Tony Hill or Carol Jordan, and the world's better off that she isn't. A good, fast-paced, entertaining read–definitely coming back for more.