Review: Echo

Tracy Clark is one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors working today and Echo is the third book in her Harriet Foster series. This is also the first book in the series that I don't think stands alone all that well, since there's a secondary plot thread that was first introduced in the previous book, Fall.

Detective Harriet Foster and her colleagues in the Chicago PD just recently wrapped up the case of the murdered aldermen (see previous book) when they catch another hot one. They're called to Hardwicke House, a fraternity-like house at Belverton College and home to the exclusive "Minotaur Society." Their victim is Brice Collier, a legacy and the son of Sebastian Collier, a billionaire and major benefactor of the school (more than one building is named after him). 

The whole thing stinks from the jump. There was a party at Hardwicke House, a semi-regular occurrence that the university turned the other way on because of course they would. Brice was found dead in a field, often used as a campus shortcut, by two girls who seem to be hiding something, and it soon becomes apparent that Brice's death looks suspiciously like a hazing incident that happened 30 years ago at Hardwicke House - and who was at the center of that incident? Sebastian Collier - a man who is in Geneva and not rushing back to Chicago, never mind his only child is dead. Instead he's got a hired ghoul by the name of Lange (just Lange) lurking around.

On top of all this Harriet has her own troubles, namely a shadowy figure blackmailing her with threats against her former partner's widower and children. Harriet is a good cop, so naturally goes to Internal Affairs, only to get word through her chief that IA is sweeping the whole thing under the rug. That doesn't sit right with Harriet, not only because Glynnis's name is being dragged through the mud, but also because this bad guy isn't going away and his threats are escalating. Who is he, what does he want and what is his end game?

With this book Clark explores the idea of justice by any means necessary and vengeance. Raw, cold vengeance given the perfect backdrop of a Chicago winter. If nothing else Clark knows Chicago and she continues to nail the winter weather. The plot follows the old adage of the sins of the father being visited upon the son, and the thriller tagline on this series is intentional. There are a few instances where the reader is privy to information before Harriet and her colleagues are clued in.

The Collier homicide, the motive and the fallout are all compelling. Clark has given readers rich, privileged asshole victims in the last two books, partly because I think she's reading the room but also it allows her to spin interesting webs.  The Collier storyline is pretty straight-forward, until it isn't, and the author throws in some twists and thrills for the final chapters.

The shadowy blackmailer plot is a little thinner. To say more about how it connects to the overall story would be a spoiler, and from that standpoint I understand what the author was shooting for, but it still read like she didn't have enough of either plot to write two books so she smooshed them both in here. It gave the book a disjointed feel at times, and while I do think the author tips her hand on the resolution to this thread, she doesn't spell it out in minute detail. I won't go so far as to say it's "unanswered" because I know what I think happens to the bad guy - but mileage may vary.

I didn't like this one quite as much as other books by Clark but it was still an entertaining read and I happily flipped the pages. Also, while I'm desperate for her to get back to her Cassandra Raines series, looks like Amazon is on board for more Harriet.  There's already a placeholder for a Book 4, due out in December 2025.

Final Grade = B