The Deepest Cut

December 15, 2008
Pasadena police detective Nan Vining once again confronts her “personal bad man,” the serial killer known as T.B. Mann, who's been stalking her and murdering California policewomen for years, in the sharp conclusion to Emley's romantic suspense trilogy (after Cut to the Quick
). Encouraged by her lover and Pasadena PD partner, Det. Jim Kissick, Nan's determined to catch T.B., though she's barely recovered from being stabbed by the psycho a year earlier. An alarming new twist—a cryptic message T.B. leaves at a crime scene where a former NLK (Northside Latin Kings) gang member, Scrappy Espinoza, was fatally shot—leads Nan to pursue an Asian gang connection. The stress builds as Emily's budding relationship with Ken Zhang, the 17-year-old son of the owner of the building where Scrappy was killed, complicates the investigation. Lucid prose and an ending that leaves the door open for further Vining exploits more than make up for the familiar serial-killer plot line.

February 1, 2009
In this conclusion to a trilogy (after "The First Cut" and "Cut to the Quick"), Det. Nan Vining is still dealing with the frustration of knowing that T.B. Mann remains free. Dubbed The Bad Man by Nan and her daughter, this unknown assailant had attacked Nan two years ago and left her for dead. Just when new evidence regarding T.B. Mann appears, Nan is tasked with heading the investigation into the murder of gangbanger Abel "Scrappy" Espinoza, while her partner, Jim Kissick, is assigned to follow up on T.B. Mann. What initially seems like just another gang killing is clearly something more; Scrappy's death is connected to a powerful local businesswoman and a gangster-turned-philanthropist. The tone and pacing is just right in this dark novel, and Nan's journey from victim to victor is nicely orchestrated. For most crime collections.Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2009
Emley saves the best for last in this chilling conclusion to her trilogy featuring Pasadena police detective Nan Vining. As the novel opens, Detective Vining suspects a connection between a brutal gang murder and an attack two years ago that nearly cost her her life.(A psychopath that Detective Vining and her daughter, Emily, have dubbed T. B. MannThe Bad Manposed as a real-estate agent, luring the detective to a house that was supposedly for sale.) The perpetrator was never caught, leaving a haunted Nan hell-bent on stopping him before he kills again. Nan is certain she can tie T. B. Mann to two, possibly three, other murders of female police officers. But the chief of police, fearful that Vining has become obsessed, reassigns the case to Nans partner (and sometime flame), Detective Jim Kissick. While she focuses on the gang case, Nan secretly pursues clues that will bring T. B. Mann to justiceand lay her demons to rest. Detective Vining is a tough but sympathetic heroine, grappling with ghosts and doing her best to raise a spirited teenage daughter. Relentless suspense, compelling characters, and vivid descriptions of Emleys native Pasadena make this a supremely satisfying read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)