When the body of a young woman is found near the shore, seemingly the victim of domestic violence turned to murder, Gutierrez is not convinced that the obvious solution to the crime is the correct one. The victim’s employment at the fertility clinic and of her relationship with one of the doctors there, gives the investigation a new focus.

Meanwhile, the police chief’s wife, schoolteacher Meg Halloran, suspects that Vince’s niece Cass is hiding something, perhaps even information that will point to the teenagers whose escalating violence is rocking the foundations of their close knit community. Rather than adding to Vince’s burdens, Meg decides to deal with Cass herself and get to the bottom of the situation.

Gutierrez is an interesting character, caught in the middle of the town’s racial conflict as he is; a man with a Hispanic name and face, but speaking no Spanish and having little knowledge of his Mexican father’s culture. When someone commiserates with him over the death of “one of his,” he responds sincerely that every victim is “one of his.” He takes the ruptures in Port Silva’s peace very, very personally.

Baby Mine features a complex plot and loads of atmosphere. Various threads are combined and woven into a rich portrait of a community under threat. If I had one reservation it would be that the novel focuses so strongly on the community that the individual characters sometimes feel distant and out of focus. However, the story and the characters did keep my interest, and the feeling of growing tension was palpable. All in all, a good read.

--Jeri Wright