Before they can get further in their interview, Johnson is shot dead and Demary gets clipped in the head. When she wakes up in the hospital with Lieutenant Sam Morgan (Seattle PD) hovering over her, she learns that her secretary Martha was apparently kidnapped during the shooting.

While Demary is not that kind of PI, she does take the shooting personally and is not entirely convinced she wasn't the target and decides to look into why Peter Johnson wanted to hire her and at whom the shooter was aiming. After one of Johnson's warehouse men is found dead, along with his son Karl, Demary is sure Johnson was the target.

Still interested in finding who shot her, Paul Johnson’s widow places Demary on retainer. She begins to look into Johnson's business dealings and his personal life. The further she looks, though, the more people die and the closer she comes to being the next target.

While Hear My Cry will hold most readers' attention, there are a few things that may distract them, such as Demary being up and around so soon after being shot in the head, or being allowed back in her office right after the murder and apparent kidnapping. Demary's relationship with Sam is also a bit unclear, making the ending of the book very surprising and unexpected.

Demary is a plucky, likable heroine, though she is far too trusting for her line of work. She drops a few hints about a seemingly interesting past that may pique reader's curiosity for another episodes. The characters around Demary are very easy to read making the culprits and their motives easy to spot.

Once the story gets going, there is a nice, steady pace to it as Demary methodically investigates Johnson's business. Readers may figure out the solution early on, and many may even guess the whole story, yet Demary is engaging enough to hold attention and provide interest for another mystery.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry