In Murder in Profile by Kay Hartford, Gracie Michaels runs a publishing house that publishes books by only people no longer alive. One day she gets a manuscript from a woman named Annie Forsberg, who was given the book by the police upon the death of its author in an airplane crash. Annie explains that she met Scott Moore on Facebook, but just as things started to heat up between them, he went black. A little while later, the police gave the manuscript to Annie. In it, Scott admits to being really Peter Larson and explains his whole process for catfishing women and getting them to give him money. But after Scott gets killed in a plane crash, the police see Annie’s name on his manuscript and give it to her as his heir. She has now approached Gracie to publish this book as warning to other women. As Gracie and her significant other editor, Ed, become closer to Annie, they discover that the manuscript comes fraught with danger.
Murder in Profile is filled with anticipation over the happenings in Annie’s life, events that have repercussions in the lives of Gracie and Ed. The plot keeps moving, but not so fast as to make it an intense thriller. It offers a couple significant twists in the middle that make the listener gasp. There are several significant characters in the book, but only Annie, Gracie, and eventually Ed come across as well- rounded characters. However, they are all that is needed to give the book depth.
The audiobook is narrated by the author, Kay Hartford. I suspect the book would have been more effective had it been performed by a professional narrator with greater expression, but it still provided enjoyment. With careful deliberation, Hartford holds back, keeping the pace from speeding up in a wise move.
Murder in Profile was a creative book that deals with a genuine problem, that of Internet scammers and stalkers. We learn some important lessons without the book’s having been at all didactic. I appreciated the exciting book and give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free for review purposes, but that had no influence on the content of my review.
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