Fans of crime fiction, mysteries or thrillers should pick up a copy of Kathleen George's Afterimage.

In the novel, rookie homicide cop Colleen Greer, a former therapist, is thrown headfirst into two connected murders. The first victim is Laura McCall, the estranged wife of David Hoffman, who owned the counseling center where Greer used to work. The second victim is a girl whose family used to attend the center.

Although David Hoffman is the obvious suspect, Greer's intuition tells her the killer is someone else entirely. But Hoffman only confuses the matter by acting guilty and asking for favors from Greer. So she and Richard Christie, Head of Homicide, and the rest of the team must work together to reveal the truth.

At the same time, Greer's relationship with her live-in boyfriend begins to crumble and she develops feelings for Christie, her very married boss. The cases also remind her of a harrowing incident in her past she'd rather not recall.

Afterimage is a good, well-written book, the third in the series about Richard Christie (although readers do not need to be familiar with the previous books to enjoy Afterimage). Told primarily from Greer's perspective, there are also several chapters from the killer and Christie's points of view.

It's a solid mystery; although the killer is identified halfway through the book, fans of police procedurals will be interested to read how he is finally captured. The story is very conclusive, all loose ends are tied up and George creates a likeable protagonist in Greer.

- Ashley