book review: the lost witness by robert ellis

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The Lost Witness is Robert Ellis's second novel to feature Detective Lenda Gamble. The first one, City of Fire, was the best book I read in 2007. The Lost Witness is just as good.

Warnings: 1. Read City of Fire first.
2. Don't start either one until you have enough time to devote to finishing the entire book.

The Lost Witness picks up eight months after the Romeo murder investigation. Lena Gamble has been stuck doing investigative paperwork on officer related shootings. She finally gets her chance to work another homicide, but everything seems to be working against her. The body is in multiple garbage bags in an alley. The victim has no identification, and there are no leads to the actual scene of the crime. She's working the case without a partner, and the media seems to have more information than she does.

This book is completely riveting. I could not wait to finish it, and I couldn't put it down, but I savored each word. It's refreshingly rare to find a both a great writer and a great suspense storyteller in one.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) - universally recommended
It's the best book I've read so far this year.

Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge, Support Your Local Library, 2009 Pub Challenge

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