Blurb:
Seattle Chief of Detectives Mort Grant is still
reeling from losing his daughter -- again. Now, Mort investigates the
gruesome murder of a beautiful young woman whose death was captured
in a snuff film. When a second victim--and film--are discovered, Mort
knows he's not dealing with an ordinary criminal. Mort hunts a
twisted menace from a chain of sleazy loan shops to the dark
underworld of the sex trade. But he's not the only one. Once again,
The Fixer is on the hunt--and she's desperate to make things right.
Review:
Lydia and Mort Team Up to Solve the Murders of Young Prostitutes
Lydia, alias the Fixer, and Mort. Seattle's chief of detectives, have been estranged since, Allie, Mort's wayward daughter, left Lydia's care to go away with Vadim Tokarev, a Russian drug lord. Mort is living on a houseboat and continuing his work as chief of detectives. Lydia is a practicing psychologist. She misses Mort's friendship and feels that she was unfairly accused of letting Allie escape.
In Mort's latest case, a young woman's body is found, and it's evident that she was tortured before being killed. Then another young woman is found also tortured before being killed. Both are prostitutes and were involved with an unscrupulous loan shark who charged exorbitant interest rates designed to lead the women into prostitution. When Lydia's patient, another young woman, disappears, Mort and Lydia decide it's time to work together again.
This is another fast paced Fixer novel. The characters of Mort and Lydia are more developed than in the previous books. He's devastated by his daughter's actions. Lydia is trying to leave behind her life as the Fixer. This book gives us insight into their struggles and their need for each other's friendship.
The plot is fast moving and the author does a good job of misdirection. It's hard to tell until the very end who is responsible. Although the idea of young women being tortured and killed is horrendous, the violence is handled tastefully with a minimum of gory details.
I recommend this book if you're a fan of the Fixer series, or if you enjoy a good mystery.
Author Interview:
How did you decide on the character of Lydia?
I’ve long been interested in the word “justice”. Is there any such
thing, really? Can a wrong truly be atoned? Let’s take even the
smallest infraction. Let’s say we’re at a dinner party, chatting.
You say something incredibly funny to me and in my laughter I lean
forward and clumsily spill my red wine on your beautiful white wool
skirt. A minor sin, to be sure. But what could truly serve as justice
for my crime? I could apologize. But there’s still that matter of
that ugly red blotch on that soft white fabric. I could pay for
dry-cleaning. But you might always have the perception of the skirt
being “less than” whenever you took it out to wear. Perhaps you’d
always be looking for a faint hint of stain the cleaners missed. I
could even buy you a new skirt. But it wouldn’t be the one you fell
in love with at Nordstrom’s, would it? It could never be the skirt
you bought after a long search with your best friend on that fun
Saturday afternoon when you stopped for coffee at that cute little
place on Elm Street and those two good-looking men in running gear
flirted you both.
Could I ever really make you whole again?
Take that same concept and apply it to major crimes…especially murder.
Is there any way a murder can be truly and wholly avenged? I mean,
even if you kill a killer, the person the killer killed is still
dead, right? Those are the kinds of musings that led me to create a
series dealing with the notion of justice. And once I decided to
write the series I, of course, needed a main character. The Writing
101 tattoo is write what you know. I know how to be a psychologist. Bingo, my main character became a psychologist. My profession has given me entry to the lives of many who have been battered, abused, and abandoned. Presto, my
psychologist main character is a woman who continues to struggle with
her own history of abuse and abandonment. I’ve long been interested
in the notion of justice. Voila, justice becomes the driving force of
my abused and suffering clinical psychologist.
I write what I know.
Now, lest you think I am secretly a vigilante assassin with hands so
bloody a gallon of Clorox wouldn’t dent the stain, well…you’ll
just have to take my word for it that writing what you know can turn
the corner and become the foundation for writing what you make up.
The series seems to be progressing from the violence of the first book toa much more psychological approach. What do you envision for the restof the series?
Oh, there’s gonna be a whole lot of violence coming. The next book in
the series, Fixed In Fear, comes out in October, 2015 and opens with a mass murder that is, as they say, not for the faint of heart. But you’re right, as the characters develop, we do get more of an insight into their motivations and
musings. As relates to the rest of the series, I envision Lydia and
Allie growing closer to an inevitable showdown. Will Mort have to
choose between the two of them? And if so, where will his allegiance
come down? Will he stand by his sociopathic daughter out of
dedication to family? Or will he turn toward Lydia, the woman
struggling so hard to live within the rules of society? As relates to
Lydia’s destiny with the series, I see her continuing to wrestle
the demons inside her. Most times she’ll be successful. But I’m
sure there’ll be times when, despite how much she’s trying to
keep her Fixer tendencies chained and bound, she’ll give in and
apply her special brand of repair to those who have escaped justice.
We’ve still got plenty to learn about the other characters in the series as
well. Will Jimmy ever be able to step away from the humor and cynical
world-weary posture that has served to protect him from his grief?
What’s with Micki? Why is a young, smart, successful, beautiful
woman like her alone in life? And speaking of alone, what will happen
as relates to Oliver Bane and Paul Bauer? What’s next for Larry?
There’s plenty of plot lines and character arcs knocking around in my head. I
can’t wait to get them down in readable form…and I certainly
can’t wait to hear what readers think.
Would you like to share anything else with my readers?
I’d like to share so much with them! Readers have made my long-standing
dream of being a writer come true. I’d like to share more stories
with them. And I’d like to hear theirs. I’d like to share how
much I appreciate the support and kindness they’ve shown this
series. And I’d like to give them more. I’d like to share a cup
of coffee with them. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? To actually be able
to have a leisurely conversation with someone I don’t know, but who
has read my books? I’m sure most authors would love to stumble
across someone reading their book, sit down next to them, and,
without the reader knowing they’re speaking to the author, ask them
what they think of what they’re reading. No filters. Just a straight-up, person-to-person report.
If any of your readers are interested in having a conversation with me, please contact me on Facebook (T.E.Woods) or on Twitter (@tewoodswrites) or on my website tewoodswrites.com. I’d love to hear from them.
Author Bio:
T.E. Woods is a clinical psychologist in
private practice in Madison, Wisconsin. Her scientific writings are
well represented in peer-reviewed journals and academic texts. Her
literary works earned her first place for Fiction at the University
of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute. Dr. Woods enjoys kayaking, hiking,
biking, and hanging around the house while her two dogs help her make
sense of the world. Her habit of relaxing by conjuring up any manner
of diabolical murder methods and plots often finds her friends urging
her to take up knitting.
