Rachel Brady

When Emily Locke is called by Richard Cole, the detective turned PI who investigated the death of her husband and daughter four years earlier, she is in no hurry to help him. When she finds out she gets to fly to Houston and engage in her passion for sky-diving while helping to check a lead in a child abduction case, Emily decides that this is a good excuse for a vacation. What Emily quickly discovers is that the lead is very real , but she is unsure of who she can actually trust. The stakes increase as Emily finds out that along with a missing child there is also the possibility of learning the truth about her own family’s tragic end. But the search for the truth could cost her life…and potentially even more.

Rachel Brady’s debut mystery novel Final Approach brings us into the life of chemist Emily Locke, who is unwittingly dropped into the pursuit of a baby abduction ring that might have ties to her past. Written from the first-person perspective of Emily, the story delves into the world of skydiving where we learn all about “boogies” and “cutaway chutes.” Fortunately, it isn’t just a skydiving education that Final Approach provides. It is also a very well written mystery. Brady provides Emily an authentic voice that is both human and endearing. Emily doesn’t have all of the answers – in fact she doesn’t even know a lot of the questions – but she learns and makes mistakes in a way that readers can relate to. She is no superhero, but that doesn’t prevent her from making a heroic stand. Brady does a fantastic job introducing the other characters and keeping the reader guessing as to whether they are someone Emily can confide in or someone she needs to run away from.

Brady doesn’t spend very much time painting picturesque scenes. Final Approach is very much a character and plot driven chase. At 250 pages, the story moves quickly and leads into a succession of twists and turns that work so well. Brady keeps you hanging on for the ride right up to the last page. A very satisfying story from a promising, gifted writer. I can’t wait to read her next story. Mystery fans should check this one out.… (mere)

* Reviewed for Netgalley*After the dramatic events in [b:Final Approach|6533761|Final Approach|Rachel Brady|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266747586s/6533761.jpg|6725890], Emily Locke is working hard at restablishing a relationship with her daughter, and in her new role as an assistant for Richard Cole in Texas. Richard tasks Emily with investigating the murder of Wendell PLatt, a plastic surgeon, of whom their difficult client, Claire Gaston has been accused. It doesn't look good, Claire's fingerprints are in his house, on the murder weapon and she is less than forthcoming with the truth. Yet Emily is convinced that their client is innocent and tries to untangle the web of betrayal, adultery, and theft. Soon she finds herself the target of the killer in a nailbiting showdown.Emily Locke is a sympathetic and likable character. She is struggling to find her place in her daughter's life and still mourning the loss of her husband, while trying to move on and rebuild her shattered life. Her motivations seem sincere and believable, she is singleminded in her pursuit of the truth. Perhaps more of her character was established in the first novel, since I did find it a bit of a stretch that she was a little cavalier with her saftey, and by extension her daughters, when directly threatened. The book paints broad strokes of the events that must take place in Final Approach and I felt that someone who had had those experiencs would have been more cautious. However, Emily's character is mostly consistent and feels natural. Emily's best friend lends support and adds warmth with the push/pull of a longstanding friendship.{"Men and details," she said"Like men an condoms. They only use them if the have to."}Vince, her love interest, is very much in the background of the story but like Jeannie plays a part in rounding out Emily's character.The subject of identity theft and cyber vulnerabilities is topical and interesting. Dead Lift is a well written mystery with a solid plot that leads you deftly through the maze of suspects to reveal the killer.… (mere)

n Dead Lift, Emily has left her unpleasant job in Ohio and moved to Houston where she works as a part-time investigator for Richard Cole, with whom she's made peace, in order to forge a relationship with her daughter Annette, who was found as a result of the search investigation at Gulf Coast Skydiving.

Emily is living in a small apartment, and though she has primary custody of her daughter, she's trying to make the transition easier for Annette by allowing her frequent contact with the people who had adopted her.

She goes to visit a jailed client, and discovers that she and Richard have been hired by the attorney who defended her husband's murderer. As one would expect, this causes some friction between Emily and her employer, but she finds herself drawn to Claire Gaston, the client charged with the murder of a local plastic surgeon. Emily appears to have a true talent for detective work, as well as an incredible tenacity. She's a real hands-on investigator, which becomes dangerous at times, though she always manages to survive.

Like its prequel, Dead Lift is gripping and exciting, and will most likely be read in a single sitting.… (mere)

Emily Locke's husband and daughter were killed in a boating accident four years before we meet her. Richard Cole, the detective who'd worked the case, now a private investigator, says she's the only person he knows who can help him with his current case which may involve sky-diving. She's reluctant to help him, as she's sure he botched her case and she's not an experienced investigator, but when she hears it concerns a missing child, she agrees.

She takes leave from her job in northern Ohio, and flies to Houston, where she is to infiltrate a local sky-diving club. She hasn't done any jumps since she lost her family, and although it's tough to begin again, she soon realizes how much she'd missed it.

Hearing that there will be a "boogie" (skydiving festival) that weekend, she signs up. Forgoing the early morning jump, she lends her gear to another woman, who is forced to use the cutaway chute when she discovers that someone has tampered with the main parachute.

Emily's history is revealed to the reader slowly throughout the course of the book, and we learn the truth about her husband and daughter and why she feels so compelled to help with the missing child case.

Sky-diving ignoramuses (such as I) will learn a lot from this book, while being totally immersed in a gripping and exciting story.… (mere)