A Chicago PI teams up with her former partner to protect a celebrity from a deadly stalker in this installment of the “engrossing and superbly written” mystery series (Lisa Black, New York Times-bestselling author on Broken Places). Vonda Allen’s vanity magazine has taken the Windy City by storm, and now she’s on her way to building a one-woman media empire. Everybody adores her–except the … Everybody adores her–except the people who work for her. But who’s sending her flowers with death threats?
As Vonda’s bodyguard, off-duty cop Ben Mickerson could use some backup–and no one fits the bill better than his ex-partner, Cass Raines. But when two of Vonda’s staff turn up dead, Ben and Cass are suddenly locked in battle with an unknown assailant. And when Ben is attacked in the media chaos of a public appearance, Cass is left to find out what secrets Vonda is keeping, who might want her dead, and how she can bring Ben’s attacker to justice.
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I came across this author in an unusual way. I’m moderating a panel she was assigned to at a mystery writer’s convention, which means I need to know something about what the panelists write. Tracy was kind enough to send me this book. She has got herself a new reader!
The characters are appealing, the story intriguing, and I like her style. This may have been the first of Tracy Clark’s books I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last.
I love a book that takes me to a real place (Chicago) and not only represents, but gives me ideas on where I should stop on my next visit. And, with a great mystery that kept me guessing, Ms. Clark’s book hits it out of the park on all points for me.
Tracy Clark’s Chicago Mystery Navigates the Dark Side of Celebrity in “What You Don’t See.” I enjoyed interviewing the author on Charlotte Readers Podcast.
Cass Raines is a former cop, now working as a private investigator. Cass’ friend, off-duty cop Ben Mickerson is working as bodyguard to Vonda Allen and requests some back up from Cass.
Vonda is a very wealthy celebrity … but not everyone likes or respects her. The people who work for her consider her a heartless diva. Then there’s the person sending her flowers with attached death threats.
It’s a bit hard to protect someone when the victim of a stalker won’t tell her bodyguard why someone might be threatening her. When two of her staff wind up dead, Cass and Ben are working blind …. leading to a catastrophic event.
This is a rapid moving mystery with a well-paced plot. The characters are deftly drawn and I enjoyed how the two ex-partners relate to each other. As the victim is the one you love to hate, there are plenty of suspects who have reason to make her life miserable …. until they want her dead. Although 3rd in the series, this is okay as a stand-alone. However, there are references to events in the previous books …. and to make it a better reading, I would recommend starting with the very first book.
Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Funny as hell. That’s saying something for a very good mystery/crime fiction read.
What’s not to love about WHAT YOU DON’T SEE is the latest Cass Raines Chicago mystery? Snappy writing, exciting story, powerful voice, and characters you’ll really want to know. Tracy Clark always delivers!
The third book in the cass raines series Cass reigns is a former cop from Chicago that’s an investigator and this one she’s dealing with another cop off duty Ben Mickerson
who is acting as a bodyguard trying to keep a celebrity safe together they have toget to the bottom of her stalker problem. I had a hard time getting into this one .
In this, the third installment of Tracy Clark’s Chicago Mystery series, cop-turned-P.I. Cass Raines is reunited (albeit with reservations) with her former partner, Ben Mickerson, who’s taken an off-duty gig as a bodyguard to much-hated media mogul Vonda Allen. It quickly becomes clear that Cass’s initial instincts were on-point; this will be one job she’s going to wish she’d passed on. Even as Allen receives repeated death threats, she refuses to help Cass and Ben figure out who might be behind them. Then a couple of her staff members turn up dead, Ben gets stabbed while guarding Allen at a book signing event (which leaves him fighting for his life), and it’s up to Cass to find and stop the murderer before the next body drops. It’s another solid entry in the Chicago Mystery series that will leave you clamoring for Book #4.