Lori's young son has been diagnosed with leukemia. His only hope may be a bone marrow transplant, and nobody in the family is a good match. But there is one other hope. Ten years ago, Lori gave up a daughter for adoption the daughter of the man she eventually married. If the daughter can be located, there's a 25% chance she will be a perfect match. Lori never told her husband about the baby, and Claire is the only person she trusts.

Claire agrees to try and uncover the information that will lead to the daughter's whereabouts. If it means posing as a pregnant woman to infiltrate the highly secretive Bradford Clinic, well, she'll have to take the chance. Aided by a pregnant student, a doctor whose interest in Claire may be more than professional, and the clinic's caretaker, Claire soon finds out more than she ever suspected about the high-priced world of private adoption.

This is a very character-driven mystery. Claire Montrose is a vivid, fairly complex character who possesses enough flaws to make her likable, and enough smarts to make the reader respect her. At the same time, as we learn about the Bradford Clinic's dirty secrets, we're as shocked as Claire. Claire's love life becomes the reader's concern, too. Is she about to lose her sexy art curator to an old flame?

Claire's elderly roommate Charlie, a concentration camp survivor, is a delightful lady who adds depth to the tale. As a sounding board for Claire, she's a great foil. And Claire's mother has given up soap operas and has tuned her five TVs to the home shopping channels, with predictable (and hilarious) results.

As for the mystery, it's well executed, with enough twists to keep the reader guessing. Lori and her motive for establishing contact with her daughter is a bit repugnant, if realistic. The focus is on harvesting bone marrow, and any concern for the daughter's welfare and happiness takes second place to this. That's a bit repelling. Yet the author is careful to give us a glimpse into the daily life of a mother with a desperately ill child, with the result that we can empathize with Lori even as we might disdain her motives. And perhaps these character flaws help make the book a compelling read.

Square in the Face comes strongly recommended for readers who enjoy an amateur sleuth with common sense and wit. I hope we see more of Claire Montrose, and soon. And the vanity license-plate entries at the end of the chapter are a clever addition. YY4U? Read and find out.

--Cathy Sova