Every Move She Makes

Kate Gillespie, the first female homicide detective in the San Francisco Police Department, and her partner, Sam Scolari, are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a freezer when Sam's wife, the coroner on the case, is murdered, perhaps by a serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. Sam suddenly disappears, leading everyone to think he is the murderer--and leaving Kate to solve the mystery and prove his innocence. She is thwarted, however, by three men competing for her attention: Mike Torrance, the Internal Affairs investigator following Kate in the hope that she'll lead him to Sam; her devious ex-husband, Reid Bettencourt; and Nicholas Paolini, a local crime boss against whom Kate is about to testify and who has been making threats on her life. Real-life police officer Burcell's (When Midnight Comes) latest thriller is fast-paced but overly complicated and lacks focus. Kate's motivation for believing in her partner's innocence and risking her own career to prove it is unclear. Kate is a well-developed character, and the details of police investigation are interesting, but by the end of the story, the central mystery has been lost in the myriad subplots. (Dec.)