What You Don't See

Starred review from April 1, 2020
A routine stint as a bodyguard becomes a nightmare for a Chicago cop-turned-private eye and her ex-partner. Vonda Allen's magazine, Strive, is widely popular among black readers, but Vonda herself is a manipulative prima donna, so it's no surprise she's been getting threats. Cass Raines agrees to help her former partner and best friend, Ben Mickerson, guard Vonda, who's been ignoring the threats and destroying all the expletive-filled letters, save one held back by Kaye Chandler, her worried assistant, who slipped it to Ben. Meanwhile, the murder of a cop brings back bad memories for Cass, who quit the force after she was shot while paired with the same ambitious cop who's now gotten his new partner killed. In addition to putting up with Vonda's snotty attitude, Cass must deal with the reappearance of the father who deserted her as a child. Soon after one of Vonda's employees is killed, Ben is knifed at a book signing, forcing Cass to dig deep into Vonda's past. As Ben clings to life and Vonda refuses to give the cops the slightest assistance, Cass forges a tenuous alliance with one of the detectives on the case as she hunts for clues. Both Vonda and Kaye are hiding behind bogus histories, and they'll go a long way to hide a string of dead bodies in their pasts. A gripping relationship-based procedural that drags you in and spits you out wan but satisfied.

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May 4, 2020
In Clark’s strong third Chicago mystery (after 2019’s Borrowed Time), cop Ben Mickerson enlists the aid of PI Cass Raines, his former police partner, in discovering who’s been sending threatening letters and creepy bouquets to media mogul Vonda Allen, for whom Ben, who’s currently on leave, has been serving as bodyguard. Allen proves imperious, unlikable, and deeply secretive about possible sources of the threats. Meanwhile, two employees of her magazine get shot, but Allen, focused on the debut of her network TV show, barely breaks stride, as she heads off to a book party, where a deranged fan stabs Ben. Instead of chasing the culprit, Cass opts to stay with her wounded former partner. As Ben clings to life in a hospital bed, Cass shifts into overdrive and digs into Allen’s checkered past. Clark does a fine job of controlling the pace and maintaining suspense up to the explosive, startling conclusion. Fans of tough capable female PIs will want to see more of Cass. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.