Born to Die

June 27, 2011
In bestseller Jackson's exciting third thriller to feature Det. Selena Alvarez and Det. Regan Pescoli (after Chosen to Die), the two Grizzly Falls, Mont., cops look into the suspicious fall of schoolteacher Jocelyn Wallis onto a rocky ledge. Jocelyn, who later dies in the hospital of her injuries, turns out to bear an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood actress Shelly Bonaventure, whose recent death from a pill overdose was officially ruled a suicide, though the police suspect foul play. When Kacey Lambert, a doctor who coincidentally resembles Jocelyn and Shelly, reports that her home has been bugged, Alvarez and Pescoli step up their investigation before Kacey becomes the next victim. Jackson skillfully interweaves the suspense surrounding the look-alike women with the romance that develops between Kacey and local rancher Trace O'Halleran. Deft characterizations, in particular the strong female leads, and a well-crafted plot compensate for some seriously clichéd prose ("Evil glinted in the eyes she'd found so intriguing just hours before").