"Surprise ending and great layering of plots in this mystery."

Most of the mysteries I read are the Agatha Christie-type where you don't get scared, the plots are not too tense, and the victims are, well, just the victims. FORTUNES OF THE DEAD is a step or two out of that kind of mystery. This book has suspense, tense moments and you're involved with the victims. Hightower has layered the plot with just the right touch of complexity and given her characters real lives beyond the mystery.

The main character, private investigator Lena Padgett, is moving in with love-interest Joel Mendez, a homicide detective. Joel has been working feverishly on a missing- woman case, and when Lena is hired by the woman's family to find out what the police don't (or won't) tell them, the relationship between Joel and Lena becomes strained. They are both investigating the same case but from completely different directions.

The story blooms as the subplots connect - the missing woman worked for the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency (ATF), the main suspect in the disappearance is a coworker at ATF who has a wife and autistic child that he's manipulated into a very isolated home, additional ATF workers have been killed, and you get glimpses into a killer's mind. Need I mention that the tense parts are related to the isolated home?

I didn't figure this plot out on my own, which is the true mark of a very good mystery. You will not guess the ending. The layering of the plots kept me reading frantically and trying to guess at the culprits. I really loved this book.

Reviewed by Lynnae Hornbarger
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted August 19, 2003