North of Montana

by: April Smith

Published by: Vintage Crime (re-release)

Reviewed by Shawn Remfrey

Ana Grey has been busting her hump in the department, hoping for the promotion she deserves. After single-handedly catching a bank robber, everyone is sure she’s finally going to get it. Instead she ends up working a case for a Hollywood celebrity, who happens to be a pain in the butt. This celebrity swears that her doctor hooked her on drugs and wants the police department, and more specifically Ana, to find proof. Now Ana has to figure out where the truth lies and try to find a way to get the promotion without giving up her moral code.

The real story in this book comes from Ana’s personal life. Having grown up with her mother and grandfather, she has a lot of unanswered questions surfacing about her father and her heritage. When a woman who claims to be her cousin pops up in a case, Ana realizes it’s time she starts looking for those answers. She finds that getting to know yourself is not an easy task.

Ana and her cohorts at the department are thoroughly interesting characters. The story flows smoothly, so that you want to keep reading. The mystery was a little too easy to figure out, but there were enough twists and turns with Ana’s personal life to keep it interesting.

This is the first book in the Ana Grey series and was released in 1994. I wasn’t overwhelmed with joy at this book, though I did enjoy it. The second book in the series, Good Morning Killer, was released a full nine years after North of Montana. I can’t help but wonder how much better the book will be, given 9 years of writing experience in between. The third book in the series, Judas Horse, was released this year along with the re-release of North of Montana.

Armchair Interviews says: See our review of Judas Horse.

Author’s Web site: http://www.AprilSmith.net