"Great work"

Former Dallas police officer Maggie Ryan quit the big city force because of the high death rate and the unending supply of hardened criminals to deal with everyday. She transferred to suburban Litchfield where one homicide has occurred in the last decade.

Maggie and her partner investigate the killing of a special education teenager afflicted with Wilson's Syndrome riding a school bus and the shooting of the driver. The police, especially Maggie, want to catch the killer, but have no evidence and a witness whose memory is at best fuzzy. Maggie keeps digging, trying to find the motive for killing a learning disabled innocent.

Susan McBride lives up to the promise of her first book, AND THEN SHE WAS GONE, with a powerful gritty tale. OVERKILL depicts the darkest of human emotions that cause individuals to bypass their better impulses so they can perform ugly deeds. The protagonist provides no easy answers as readers admire her ability to survive hell making her quite a role model for both genders. On top of that the exciting mystery with its unforeseen climax makes this a must read.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 12, 2001