The First Cut

by: Dianne Emley

Published by: Ballantine Books (August 29, 2006 release)

Reviewed by Linda Lee

For two minutes Nan Vining, a Pasadena police officer was dead. On what should have been a routine check, she encounters a killer who leaves her dead on the floor of an empty house. Not a rookie, she had moments of unease that led her to call for back up before the killer could strike. This act of professionalism is what saves her life as help appears in seconds, although not soon enough to catch the perpetrator.

Her first case, after a year off duty, is the murder of a police officer, the daughter of another officer. Nan feels a special need to solve this case. After her experience, it is personal.

Anxiety attacks, hyperventilating and overwhelming fear of entering strange houses are just some of the things she has to overcome to find a murderer. There seem to be extrasensory clues only she can see or hear. Is she more aware of things due to being a victim, herself? Or did her near-death experience equip her with something she hadn't previously possessed?

Emley does a super job with this story. Not being a fan of the supernatural books, I started out a bit skeptical of the story, but was quickly won over. The protagonist is a person who works on facts. The visions she has could be her imagination, maybe she identifies too closely with the victims. Either way, they make her more determined to stop a killer. There is no need to believe in a sixth dimension to believe this character. She's real, with concerns for her daughter and insecurities when it comes to men--another investigator, named Kissick, in particular.

I was left wanting more--more backstory on the main character, more information about her love life, and much more about her use of her new special skills for crime solving.

Armchair Interviews says: Suspenseful, hard-edged, and, at times, dark, this is the start of what hopefully will be a long series.