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An Image Of Death (2004)

An Image of Death (2004)

Book Info

Series
Rating
3.76 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
1590581016 (ISBN13: 9781590581018)
Language
English
Publisher
poisoned pen press

About book An Image Of Death (2004)

Independent video producer Ellie Foreman is unwillingly trapped between murky political history and a murderous present.When an unknown individual delivers a video to Ellie Foreman’s front door, she is swept into a complex and dangerous set of circumstances. The video depicts the apparent murder of a young woman. Although Ellie promptly delivers the video to the local police, the scene continues to haunt her.The pressures of her current contract to produce an upbeat video about a foster children project in Chicago, brings her into contact with members of the cream of Chicago’s Gold Coast, a group Ellie is not entirely comfortable with. Then her relationship with David begins to come apart. Things do not bode well as these disparate elements swirl about Ellie’s existence and the normal life she is trying to maintain for her teen-aged daughter.Fischer-Hellman has fashioned a story that intriguingly entwines two separate plots, one set in the dark days of the fall of the Soviet Union, and another in the go-go-atmosphere of upscale property development in Chicago. If there is an occasional coincidence and if some of Ellie’s activities with a friendly patrol woman stretch credibility just a bit, there is plenty of gritty dark reality to balance. That she is able to maintain a high level of interest in both, demonstrates her mastery of the genre and her skills as a writer. Not outstanding, but a clean, interesting satisfying novel.

More of a slow-developing mystery than a thrillerOverall, I found this story satisfactory, but not sharp enough to fit in the thriller genre. In fact, it is more of a slow-developing mystery, and one that you must follow along with two other sizable plot lines, which somehow the author interrelates with the main murder plot, but never convincingly (too coincidentally), and often with quite the distracting effect. This may lead one to the impression that the story doesn't move ahead at a good enough pace, but in all fairness, it is hard to drive three cars at once.On the plus side, the main character is well developed, and the author doesn't skip on continuing her life story in the midst of her present challenges. I also enjoyed the way the setting (Chicago, for the most part) comes alive through effective narrative. For these reasons, I give a marginal three star recommendation.

Do You like book An Image Of Death (2004)?

I was given this book for an honest review and since it was my first read by author Libby Hellmann I looked forward to it. I love mystery thrillers and this was right on target.It takes place in Chicago but goes back and forth to past times in the Soviet Union. The main character video producer, Ellie Foreman, receives a mysterious video which appears to have a murder on it. Even after she turns in over to the police she cannot help but dig into what it all is about. There are many twist and turns in the story that keep you wanting to read from murder, prostitution, money laundering and political corruption.All the characters and scenery were well developed and written.I would highly recommend this for those who like mystery thriller books.
—Barbara

Ellie Foreman is an engaging protagonist in Libby Fischer Hellman's book book Image of Death. She is old enough to have some life experiences and smarts, but young enough to still be adventurous and ready to try new things. As a videographer, she has access to people and events that most people don't have. This plot device is handy to carry forward the action of the novel and bring it all together at the end. At times, though, this plot device may be a little too handy in that the coincidences seem a little contrived. Even so, Hellman does well in developing her characters, especially the Eastern Europeans left adrift after the break-up of the USSR. She also has a good sense of place for the settings of this book. The book was a good, fast read with a satisfying mystery at its heart.
—Diane

Ellie Forman is a videographer who receives an unexpected video in the mail. This is not an ordinary video ... this one shows the murder of a young woman. Being the inquisitive sort, she decides to investigate herself, especially as the police have warned her to keep her nose out of it. There are back stories which involve Russia, greed and corruption.The book is an easy read. Characters are well defined. It started out a little slow for me (personal taste) but was soon humming right along. This is a few steps up from a 'cozy' and the more I read, the more I really got into it. I almost feel a little lost as I started with the 3rd book in the series. I will definitely go back and start at the beginning. I think Ellie Forman leads a very interesting life.The author very graciously sent me the ebook to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.
—Linda Strong

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