One Cold Night

One Cold Night
Kate Pepper
Penguin Books
ISBN 0-451-41214-1
Fiction, Mystery
Reviewed by Pamela Crossland

Kate Pepper’s greatest strength is in creating characters that keep the reader’s eyes on the page and moving. Set in New York, Detective Dave Strauss becomes embroiled in his sister in law’s disappearance. The case proves to be grimly similar to the only one he has been unable to solve in his career, the one that keeps him awake at night.
The main characters, Dave Straus, his wife Susan, and the snatched fourteen year old Lisa are not the most interesting characters in this novel however. Dave becomes a rather standardized New York City detective, weary and careworn and jaded. Susan spends most of her time in flashback and sending apologetic emails to the missing girl hoping she will be able one day to read them all and forgive her for her mistakes. Despite being a competent business owner and generally capable human being, she stands out as greatly flawed. Nor is Lisa a riveting character; she is a somewhat talented young woman who hopes to one day make it on the Broadway stage. Basically she is a victim past lies and adults unwilling to face their own demons.

The real scene stealers are the detectives officially assigned to the case, loudmouthed, spirited Lupe Ramos, and her unmade bed of a partner, Alexei Bruno, a Russian immigrant who has made good in the Big Apple. Together they are funny, interesting, and three dimensional. There is a tendency to have too many cooks in this mystery broth, but still the novel is entertaining if a bit predictable. Readers who enjoyed her previous work, Seven Minutes to Noon, and Five Days in Summer will probably enjoy this as one of their summer beach books.