Prisoner of Memory

by: Denise Hamilton

Published by: Scribner (April 2006 Release)

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

On the first morning of her assignment to the downtown Metro section of the Los Angeles Times, journalist Eve Diamond stumbles across the body of a 17-year-old boy in Griffith Park. The murdered boy is the son of Russian emigrants, Sasha and Irina Lukin.

As Eve's nose for news and search for a killer leads her into Russian Cold War history, she comes face to face with her own family history. Eve's investigation and life is complicated when a young man literally appears on her doorstep one night, armed with Eve's personal history (including her bank account balance) in order to convince her that he is her long-lost cousin.

Eve agrees to take Mischa in, but when he disappears, the Russian mob comes calling and the mob leader warns her off the murder case. Is Mischa really Eve's cousin? And what is Eve's connection to the Lukin family? Will her involvement in a young man's death threaten her own safety?

Denise Hamilton is a wonderful writer who breathes life into her plots and invites the reader to live her adventures with her. I like Eve. She's gutsy, determined and has a kick-butt, take-no-prisoners attitude.

Armchair Interviews says: After you're read Prisoner of Memory, check out Hamilton's previous Eve Diamond novels. You'll be glad you did.