Lee Martin (2) (1943–)

This is number 9 of the 12 Deb Ralston mysteries out there. I love Deb -- the way she fits in household errands in between detecting, the way she tosses off snappy asides while recounting a story, the way she picks up and cares for all the strays that cross her path. This was a hard read, though, featuring multiple cases of horrific rape and sexual abuse. I'm glad to have rounded out my Deb collection, but I don't think I'll reread this one soon.

This is the first book in one of my favorite mystery series. We are introduced to Deb Ralston, a detective with the Ft. Worth Major Case Squad, and also a wife and mother with somewhat harried home life (rings very true). She comes in to a bizarre case where the main suspect is being allowed to remain at the crime scene, and they can't even determine how many victims there are, because a room has been entirely filled with furniture and they are impossible to get to.

It seems obvious that show more Olead, a recent resident of a mental health facility, must have gone nuts and killed his family, but a few details are bothering Deb. Not least that a former mental patient makes a hell of a fall guy for anyone else.

The gradual revelation of what happened, along with an interesting array of characters drawn with great detail, and the collision of Deb's work life with her home life, make this an excellent introduction to a promising series. show less

The last Deb Ralston mystery, published in 1997, but I wasn't aware it existed until a few weeks ago. It's a reasonably good end to the series, but the earlier books were much better.

Two days before returning to work after her maternity leave, Fort Worth police detective Deb Ralston witnesses a bank robbery, the first in a vicious series.

Lots of routine police spade-work ensues, enlivened by Deb's intution and interspersed with scenes from her family life. Not one of the stronger entries in the series, but far from the worst.