"exciting thriller"

Chicago resident Ellie Foreman, accompanied by her teen daughter, has been on vacation in West Virginia for several days when she obtains a copy of the Chicago Tribune. The item that catches her eye is the murder trial of Johnnie Santoro for killing his girlfriend Mary Jo Bosanick. The paper says the circumstantial evidence is so overwhelming that the suspect has no chance of securing a not guilty finding. However, Ellie recognizes Johnnie as a drugged person who she caught on video when she was doing a shoot at Olive Park at about the time and date of the homicide.

When she returns to Chicago, Ellie goes to the studio of MacArthur J. Kendall III to affirm her belief and though there is radio interference on the tape, Johnnie is clearly there. Not trusting the police, she provides her evidence to Johnnie's lawyer. However, Ellie soon finds herself and her family and friends as the target of stalkers who expect Johnnie to hang as the fall guy.

White Sox and Cub fans will agree that this is an exciting thriller that begins so very innocently when a Good Samaritan tries to do the right thing. The story line, once Ellie returns to Chicago, moves rapidly forward as not so subtle threats to herself and her beloved daughter commence once the heroine surfaces the video. Though the conspiracy seems strange at first, whether the reader roots for a bull or bears market, they will appreciate this taut suspense novel due to the lead protagonist; a solid citizen turned victim turned survivor-hunter.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted June 13, 2003

Summary

The big news story in Chicago is the murder trial of Johnny Santoro, a dock worker whose girlfriend has been killed. Most Chicagoans are betting on a quick guilty verdict, but Ellie Foreman has doubts about his complicity?Santoro is strangely familiar to her. Checking back to the outtakes of a video project in progress while the murder took place, Ellie finds evidence that could save Santoro from a lifetime behind bars. It seems the perfect alibi, but the tape is compromised by radio interference and Santoro goes to jail. Almost immediately, Ellie's world begins to shift: a suspicious vehicle follows her, the Chicago mob shows up, and the FBI wants to question her. She doesn't have answers, but she has questions of her own about the radio transmissions. Everything indicates someone wants something from her, something bigger than the Santoro case. If only she could figure out what it is.... 'A Picture of Guilt' follows Ellie's debut in 'An Eye for Murder.'