Just finished reading...

I've known Robin Burcell virtually for many years. I didn't actually meet her in person until Left Coast Crime in Hawai'i in March, at which I was pleased to obtain a signed copy of her latest book, Face of a Killer.I have read her previous books, featuring SFPD Homicide Investigator Kate Gillespie. The latest book is not part of the series, although the protagonist, FBI agent Sydney Fitzpatrick, does mention knowing Kate.

Sydney has recently transferred to San Francisco, partially with the ulterior motive of meeting the man who is in prison for murdering her father 20 years earlier. He has maintained since his arrest that he is innocent, and when Sydney visits him, she finds herself believing his story. Beginning to investigate it, she finds herself the object of a serial killer. Or is it a hit man?

This is a gripping story. We learn quite a bit about Sydney's (and Robin's) talent and training as a forensic artist. The character of Sydney is sympathetic, and her thought patterns and relationships with family and co-workers are realistically portrayed.

I had to force myself to read more slowly than usual so I could enjoy the excellent writing. I'm now planning to go back and reread the Kate Gillespie books.