Doubleback

Little Molly Messenger is kidnapped on a sunny June morning. Three days later she's returned, apparently unharmed. Molly's mother, Chris, is so grateful to have her daughter back that she's willing to overlook the odd circumstances.

A few days later, the brakes go out on Chris's car.

An accident? Maybe. Except that it turns out that Chris, the IT manager at a large Chicago bank, may have misappropriated three million dollars. Not convinced that his daughter is safe, Molly's father hires PI Georgia Davis to follow the money and investigate Chris's death.

Doubleback, the sequel to the acclaimed Easy Innocence, reunites PI Georgia Davis with video producer Ellie Foreman. The two women track leads from Northern Wisconsin to an Arizona border town, where illegal immigrants, smuggled drugs, and an independent contractor called Delton Security come into play. Georgia and Ellie go to great lengths to find the truth, and Georgia discovers that you can cross a line, but sometimes you have to double back.

Reviews

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Publishers Weekly:

Anthony-finalist Hellmann’s taut second novel of suspense to feature Chicago PI Georgia Davis (after Easy Innocence) teams Davis with video producer Ellie Foreman, the heroine of the author’s other series (A Shot to Die For, etc.). When eight year-old Molly Messenger is apparently kidnapped, a family friend turns to Ellie for help. Feeling out of her depth, Ellie asks Georgia to get involved, only to have the girl reappear unharmed just days later. After Molly’s bank manager mother, Christine, dies in a suspicious car accident, Georgia gets on a trail that leads from Wisconsin to Arizona. Meanwhile, Ellie stumbles onto a paramilitary training camp connected to Christine’s bank. Hellmann skillfully juggles disparate threads of bank fraud, extortion, drugs and illegal immigration. While some may find the use of dual narrators confusing, it works with Ellie's cooler-head yin balancing out Georgia’s take-no-prisoners yang.

Crimespree Magazine:

As with Easy Innocence, Hellmann's plot is multi-layered and peppered with heavy social issues, which ultimately draw the reader deeper into the plot line.

Libby Fischer Hellman has indisputably crossed the line into the realm of great crime fiction writers. There's no going back now.

New Mystery Reader:

Bringing back together the two heroines from her duo of successful series, video producer Ellie Foreman and PI Georgia Davis, Hellmann provides readers with a wonderfully written tale of mystery that is both stimulating and highly riveting.

Hellmann's latest is a compelling, well-mixed bag of suspense, controversial values, family loyalties, and unresolved emotions from the past that all come together in just the right way to prod the reader into thinking about some pretty heavy stuff. With this type of story-telling, Hellmann proves she's got what it takes to keep readers interested and, personally, I can't wait to see Georgia Davis go to battle again.

Mystery Scene:

Teaming up two strong, intelligent lead characters makes for a rich, suspenseful story in Libby Fischer Hellmann’s Doubleback. Chicago private investigator Georgia Davis and video producer Ellie Foreman have each shown they can carry a novel by themselves. Hellmann’s decision to have them work together in this followup to Easy Innocence brings new insights into each character and nice depth to Doubleback.

The Rap Sheet:

When I think of Libby Fischer Hellmann, her two excellent series come to mind: the longer one about video producer and single mother Ellie Foreman, and the newer one about ex-Chicago cop-turned-private investigator Georgia Davis.

Hellmann has done such a good job of bringing her dual principals to vivid life in Doubleback, that you believe every word of it.

Tess Gerritsen:

Libby Hellmann knows how to reel in a reader, and she does it expertly in Doubleback. One of the tensest opening scenes ever written is just the introduction to a true puzzler of a thriller.

C.J. Box:

Doubleback is a high-octane rocket ride through ripped-from-the-headlines issues and across the country ... Let's hope we see much more of the tough-as-nails PI Georgia Davis and her relentless partner Ellie Foreman.