Constable Molly Smith serves on the Trafalgar police force. She secures the scene when a hotel maid discovers a dead man in his restroom. When the crime scene people take a look, they discover a photo of Detective John Winters' wife Eliza taken years ago. Rather than placing it in evidence, they give the photo to Winters. Outsiders are brought in to lead the investigation but Detective Ray Lopez has a better feel for the case. The investigators just want to arrest Eliza and be done with it. Molly's dad falls from a ladder. He faces hip surgery, and Molly's mom Lucky shows a great deal of nervous concern. Meanwhile, the former inmate with a vendetta against Molly continuously escalates the seriousness of his retaliatory attacks. Off the case where his wife is a suspect, Detective Winters steps up attempts to solve a series of local break-ins. With a little help from Molly, he discovers a pattern and a suspect. That's as much as I can reveal without giving spoilers. I really enjoy this series. While there are a couple of things in the plot I wish had not occurred, I'm still anxious to see what happens. I read the next installment many years ago, but I think I'm going to re-read it (or listen to it) since I remember little of the plot. ( )

The next book in a series from Canada, fairly light and an easy read. A washed-up fashion photographer is killed in the fancy hotel in town, and various ties emerge, involving the sergeant's wife, a long-lost brother, would-be models, photographer's assistant, etc. just go provide lots of possibilities. In the meantime, Constable Molly is being harassed by an abusive ex-con, and dealing with an overeager lover. Enough to keep me reading. ( )

This was a fun, quick read. I wanted to know what happened next. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Signed ARC won from Firstreads.

This is the fourth book in the Constable Molly Smith series set in the small town of Trafalgar, British Columbia. When a famous fashion photographer, Rudolph Steiner, is murdered in his hotel room, the town is shocked to find one of their own citizens is the prime suspect. What makes it even worse is the suspect is married to the lead investigator, John Winters. He's taken off the case due to a conflict of interest and he and Molly pursue a string of home burglaries that will lead him back to possible persons of interest in the Steiner matter.

As usual in this series, it's the quirky townspeople who make this such an absorbing story. Molly's mother, Lucky, is beside herself with worry when her husband of thirty years falls from a ladder and breaks his hip. Molly continues to be pursued by her friend's abusive ex-boyfriend and he's ramping up his threats. Now that she's dating Mountie, Adam Tocek, what does this mean for her future as a policewoman? Molly is growing into a well rounded character, along with many of the secondary characters. I found John Winters to be a real idiot in this story though.

I wasn't planning to start any new series this year but I've got to admit I'm really enjoying this one. I plan to read the next book, Among the Departed.
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Vicki Delany's Smith and Winters mysteries are a perfect combination of characterization and story. Molly Smith is the rookie who's learning the job. Her parents have a difficult time dealing with her chosen occupation. Molly's boyfriend Adam wants to be the most important person in her life and is causing her nothing but trouble on the job. Fortunately, she has someone like Sergeant John Winters to mentor her. Winters is a wealth of knowledge and common sense, and he sees Molly's potential. He's also emotionally stable-- or he was until his wife becomes the prime suspect in a murder.

It's interesting to see how Winters reacts to learning about his wife's past. He may be a hero, but heroes don't always react the way we want them to, and Delany reminds us of this more than once. Molly's life is tied up in knots with career decisions, gossip, and a stalker. She takes this all on by herself because of the way her fellow officers are treating her. Being a female police officer is certainly not easy.

Speaking of certainties, Delany really knows how to ratchet up the suspense. Investigations are being conducted by officers who have their own agendas. Bad things are happening to good people right and left in Negative Image, but the author shows that good police work relies on the boring stuff: going back time after time to ask the same people the same questions and observing every little nuance of behavior. Delany has created a solid mystery that keeps readers guessing. Not only that, but she's created wonderful characters that live and breathe on the page. So much so that fans will have their hearts in their throats through sections of this book.

If you haven't read one of Vicki Delany's Smith and Winters mysteries, I urge you to do so. Please start at the beginning with In the Shadow of the Glacier so you don't miss one single bit of her character development (or any of the mysteries). ( )