First, David meets a member of the Saudi Royal family, Abduhl, who is interested in David’s help brokering a deal to buy Great Lakes Oil. The other is that while reading a Chicago paper to catch up on events back home, Ellie sees a picture of a man on trial for killing his girlfriend, a man she recognizes from somewhere. When she realizes that she may have the videotape that gives Johnny Santoro an alibi, she brings it to his defense attorney and gets drawn into a world where she feels like she is being followed and the people she talks to end up dead.

The videotape now has some radio frequency interference on it that Ellie doesn’t remember noticing before, no one is interested in working with her because of her involvement with Johnny and the FBI has begun to take an unusual interest in her activities. Top that off with a rough spot in her relationship with David and a pre-teen daughter who is starting to spiral out of control. Ellie must summon her inner strength to try and put the puzzle pieces together and figure out who is threatening her livelihood and her life. Then she must start putting the pieces of her personal life back together before she loses both Rachel and David.

A Picture of Guilt is a very timely mystery as it interweaves an Italian mob family with current Middle Eastern tensions and terrorism threats. Ellie is very headstrong, sometimes too much so for her own good, and readily admits to some of her short comings - her propensity for shoplifting - yet allows other shortcomings - her fear of relationships - to dominate that area of her life. She tries to deal with Rachel in a way that will not antagonize the girl and cause her to go running to live with her father, yet she realizes it may be time for some tough love before Rachel finds herself in real trouble. Ellie has a very good relationship with her father on whom she has come to rely for common sense and support. Ellie also finds herself drawn to FBI agent LeJune, but is able to pull back before she is in too deep.

The mystery is very fast moving and very absorbing as bits and pieces of several plots are introduced and then carefully woven in and around one another until a very satisfying conclusion when all the pieces are tied together and everything makes sense. A Picture of Guilt is a very timely and engrossing mystery with a heroine who will be enjoyable to watch change and grow throughout the series.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry