One...Two...Buckle My Shoe

by: P.K. Paranya

Published by: Whooo Doo Mysteries, division of Treble Heart Books

Reviewed by Brenda A. Snodgrass

A maniacal predator drops out of nowhere, a killing machine--a parent's worst nightmare that comes true. Detective Sergeant Richard Slater is assigned to head up the investigation into the murders of several five-year-old little girls, all blond with light-colored complexions. The killer does not molest the girls or torture them and he always places their little bodies (wrapped in plastic) in an obvious place to ensure they are found quickly. He kills them with carbon monoxide. And, the killer always keeps one of their shoes.

Police have been known to use psychics when they keep coming up empty-handed. Katherine Macklin, a reluctant physic, is called in to help. After loosing her husband to an industrial accident and her daughter to murder, Kate has become agoraphobic (the fear of going outside). She never wanted this supposed "gift," and it makes her unable to sleep for nights at a time. Her gift manifests itself on her computer screen, when she is tired or bored. She does not have the ability to touch personal belongings and get a reading that way.

A working relationship between Det. Slater and Katherine develops into a kind of occasional dating-type thing. Emotionally involved, both are driven to exhaustive lengths to find their murderer. They don't seem to be making any headway, and the bodies continue to pile up.

Quoted on page 170, "Slater looked at the map on the wall. He'd memorized the whereabouts of each of the tack heads. He'd memorized where the children were picked up and where each had been dropped. Where was that creepy bastard? What was the killer doing this very minute? He felt his hands twitch every time he thought of the monster. He wanted to wrap his hands around a neck so bad. Maybe it was wrong to have confided to Kate. Hell, it was her word against his if it ever came down to that."

P.K. Paranya tells a really good story. It's a shame that the cover looks so amateurish, and that the book wasn't proofread more completely. Words have been dropped from sentences and there are two pages numbered 226.

Armchair Interviews says: Other than those complaints, this is an engaging and credible read.