Sociology professor Jill McKenzie hires PI Anni Koskinen to find the man who raped her in Chicago's Lincoln Park 23 years earlier in Fister's strong sequel to In the Wind
(2008). Chase Taylor, a 16-year-old high on coke who was in the park near the time of the assault, was convicted of the crime, but later freed on appeal. McKenzie has assembled data that suggests her attacker is a serial rapist responsible for at least seven additional attacks over a 10-year period that overlaps with Taylor's jail time. Part social worker and part sleuth, Koskinen connects with an array of well-drawn supporting characters, including other rape victims, the lead investigator on the McKenzie case, and the attorney who helped overturn Taylor's conviction. Thoughtful attention to the complexities of police work and social justice lift this gritty mystery well above the norm. Koskinen's empathy with both cops and victims as well as her fierce, brittle independence make her easy to root for. (May)
