Review – Double Exposure

Susan Sleeman’s Double Exposure explodes into a fast start.  Jennie Buchanan’s photography exhibit is vandalized and she is threatened with death if her exhibition opens. A knife-wielding man tries to steal her camera bag. So it becomes obvious that her photos contain something that some powerful person doesn’t want made public. But Jennie’s  photos only picture impoverished children, and her exhibition is to raise funds for a children’s charity. So how could her photos threaten anyone? Her life is further complicated by the Justice Agency, the family PI group contracted by the gallery owner to secure her exhibition. The agency consists of three men and two women, all siblings and all adopted into the same family. But the senior member, Ethan Justice, is the man Jennie once loved but suddenly abandoned in fear he would discover her “past,” which shame compels her to hide from public view.

Other threats develop. The would-be thief is identified as a member of the Sotos international drug gang, so something in the photos apparently threatens the gang. One copy of Jennie’s negatives is stolen and her home is invaded and trashed. And the threats to Jennie’s life force her to go into hiding with the Justice family. From this point in the narrative, each event increases the stakes and heightens tension as the Justice Agency struggles to keep Jennie safe from the vast resources of the drug gang. And each situation complicates the already uncomfortable relationship between Jennie and Ethan.

The quality of Susan Sleeman’s writing is excellent: Her book shows none of the grammatical and usage problems that mar too many contemporary novels. Her meticulous plotting sets incident after incident to keep the story moving and tension building. And she masterfully weaves all the narrative threads of the story together and brings them to a satisfying climax and resolution. In the universe of well-crafted thrillers, this novel stands among the best. No reader will leave the novel unsatisfied.