Road Closed - Leigh Russell, Author

Road Closed – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“We’re evacuating the neighboring houses,” a voice called out. “We need to move all those cars, now,” another voice barked. A movement nearby
caught Sophie’s attention. Two men were carrying a stretcher, its small
load covered. Sophie stumbled over to it. The stretcher bearers
paused. She raised the blanket. Tom was sleeping, his face smudgy and
grey. Soon he would open his eyes and scold her for leaving home
without waking him to say goodbye. She reached out. Gently she stroked
his cheek, ran her finger along his bottom lip, round his chin. Her
eyes filled with tears and her head sank forward on to his body. She
would have stayed there forever – she had nowhere else to go – but
someone pulled her away. A hand pulled the blanket over Tom’s face as
he was carried to the van.

One dead and more to go. This is what DI Geraldine Steel will be facing and trying to prevent over the next few days as she searches for the
person or persons responsible for murder and arson. Actually she's sure
she knows who the killer is but gathering enough evidence to prove her
theory has become her biggest challenge. Her suspect seems to always
have an alibi and people to back it up. And to add to her problem,
someone is trying to kill the killer. Is it his partner? His partner’s
girl friend Brenda? Or someone uninvolved with the present case
altogether?

On top of solving the murders, Geraldine has to live with her own life as it tumbles out of control. She’s recently lost her mother... in more
ways than one, she's loosing her sister and best friend. She has lost
her boyfriend and is in the process of loosing another one. And these
problems are all self inflicted due to Geraldine putting her job first.

Leigh Russell's book Road Closed had me wanting to say to heck with everyone and everything else until I had turned every page. I will admit that through her story writing she
will let you see the “who” that is involved in the murders but gives no
clue as to "how" the case will be solved. This was an irritating book
to read, in a good sense of the word. Every time I thought the killer
would be caught, he got away!

2010

No Exit Press

352 Pages

ISBN #978-1-84243-344-7