Thumbprint Mysteries: Murder on the Loose, Murder on the Lovers' Bridge, Murder in the Shadows
Reviewed by Joyce Cameron

I am delighted to say that this trio of books is a thoroughly good read. The author worked with Literacy students through the Victoria R.E.A.D. program, and the language of the books testifies to the process. I have not used the books with a group, but the students (all women) who read them were very enthusiastic and went through them very quickly. As the books are one hundred-plus pages each, I was surprised at the speed at which they were read. I also did not have to promote them. I simply suggested them to one woman, and they went around the classroom from there.

Each book can be read separately, although reading them in order allows one to see the progress of the characters. The heroine is an overweight, divorced woman of twenty-four who struggles with self-esteem and her abusive, former husband while building a network of friends and solving murder mysteries. The plot is based on the premise that Janet, the heroine, has won a lottery and uses the hundred thousand dollars to start the Women's Rescue Committee. The first job that they take on is finding the murderers who killed three immigrant women who had been brought over to work as nannies.

The dialogue is realistic; the characters are fairly realistic too. The material is definitely adult. The first book begins with two close friends dealing with the issue of one of their partners having forced the other woman to have sex with him. The books are meant to encourage women to stand up to abusive situations and to rely on themselves and other women for help. They are not anti-male, and they deal with issues of race comfortably.

The students who read the books each found that the third story dragged a bit. I suspect that is because they read them in quick succession, and thus the story may have seemed a bit formulaic. They all read the third novel from cover to cover, so it captivated them enough for that!

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