Locked In

August 17, 2009
Bestseller Muller's harrowing 27th mystery to feature San Francisco PI Sharon McCone (after 2008's Burn Out
) opens with a bang: returning to her office late one night, McCone is shot while interrupting a burglary. When she wakes up in the hospital, McCone is fully conscious but “locked in.” Paralyzed, she can communicate only by blinking her eyes. Muller articulates this chilling conceit with painful realism, even citing the popular French memoir about the locked-in syndrome, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
. Narrative duty falls on McCone's motley crew of co-workers and other series regulars like her husband, Hy Ripinsky. Each chapter, told from a different perspective, provides another clue in a convoluted case that includes multiple murders, a sex scandal in city government and the inevitable coverup. While this approach can be hard to follow at times, it provides Muller ample opportunity to showcase her strength at characterization.

August 15, 2009
Sharon McCone almost dies.

The bullet enters her occipital lobe, leaving bone fragments, a clot, pressure and vocal and physical paralysis. Sharon McCone, private eye extraordinaire, can communicate only by blinking once for yes, twice for no. She's transferred from SF General to the Brandt Neurological Institute, where her husband, Hy Ripinsky, keeps vigil and her staff—Ted, Adah, Craig, Mick, Julia, Rae and Diane, the most recent hire—comb the agency caseload trying to figure out who shot her. McCone's cases include a missing son and a newly discovered $100,000, the stabbing of the hooker daughter of a well-known politician, the staged murder/suicide of the president of the Board of Supervisors and a State Representative, the death of the mayor's aide and the disfigurement of a junior executive in a financial management firm. As these diverse cases coalesce, there'll be more death and yet another murder/suicide, not to mention plans made by Ripinsky for retribution, if only he can find McCone's attacker. When bullet fragments in her brain shift, McCone's condition turns critical and she's scheduled for a four-hour surgery. Her staff holds a conference in her hospital room to update her. Despite her perilous prognosis, McCone makes an important connection. All cases are closed, leaving rehab and smoother sailing ahead.

Proficient and readable, but since very few authors who aren't Nicolas Freeling kill off their franchise heroes, the prospect of McCone's solving her 27th case (Burn Out, 2008, etc.) is never really in doubt.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 15, 2009
Returning to her office at night to retrieve her forgotten cell phone, Sharon McCone ("Burn Out") is shot by an intruder, the bullet lodging near her brain stem. Totally immobile but fully cognizant, she's diagnosed with Locked-In Syndrome and given an uncertain prognosis. Trying to find the assailant, the staff at McCone Investigations reviews current cases, working with McCone's husband, Hy Ripinsky, and with McCone herself, as she communicates with blinks of her eyes. As several cases become intertwined, a portrait of abuse, prostitution, blackmail, and betrayal involving San Francisco city officials is revealed, resulting in multiple murders and suicide. McCone is buoyed by being involved with her agency's work until her condition suddenly worsens and she's whisked into surgery. McCone's interspersed interior dialog about her condition adds depth to what might have been just another complicated case to solve, and while readers won't be surprised at the outcome, they may end up more appreciative of life. VERDICT Top-notch mystery and more from one of the genre's Grand Masters.Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2009
Sharon McCone deals with her toughest case yet. Returning to her office to retrieve a forgotten cell phone on a foggy San Francisco evening, McCone is shot in the head by an unknown assailant. She finds herself in the hospital suffering from locked-in syndrome, perfectly alert and conscious, but unable to move or speak. Her staff works furiously to discover the perpetrator while covering the firms other cases. There may be links between these cases and the attack on Sharon. They rally around her, convening conferences at the hospital so that she can participate in the hunt despite her condition. As the pieces fall into place, McCones husband, Hy, must decide whether he can keep his violent past in check once the responsible party is identified. Throughout her many McCone novels, Muller has displayed a knack both for keeping the series fresh and for allowing her character to grow. She accomplishes both goals this time by taking McCone out of the spotlight but giving her fans a chance to root for her to recover. After all these years, Mullers series remains a gold standard for female detective stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)