Lullaby
Sherry Scarpaci

Reviewed by Diane Kasperski


Vicki Langford didn't believe in fortune tellers. Madame Zoya gave her the chills and why she ever agreed to this night out with her best friend Mary was beyond her comprehension. It was supposed to be fun, however, Mary and Vicki left with a black cloud hanging over them. Little did they realize how true those words would turn out to be.

Vicki Langford was a cop seven years before this fateful reading. There was a horrible accident and an innocent woman died. At around the same time her husband, another officer, was murdered in a fire. Vicki turned in her badge and gun. Vicki is now a crime reporter with connections in the force. Her godfather is the Chief of Police.

This is what the caller says every night around 1am for the past 6 months or so. Who is he? Why is he doing this? Is he for real? All of these are questions that Vicki asks herself every night. She has her own theories as to who is at the behind the calls. Vicki feels there is a link between the calls and the fire that killed her husband 7 years earlier. There is no one that believes her though.

Jim McCann is a new detective on the force. He absolutely hates reporters. His ex-wife was a reporter and used everyone in her path to the top. Jim wanted to get away from his old life and start new. There are reasons that he chose Westport as his knew home but he is not telling anyone those reasons. Jim and Vicki don't hit it off at their first meeting.

Vicki's house is broken into. The phone calls are continuing even more menacing than before. Vicki persists in the investigation into the Grayson Center fire - people start dying - then Vicki's son is kidnapped. Who is behind it? Is everything related to the Grayson Center fire or possibly to the accidental shooting that was the reason Vicki left the police department. There is a race to narrow down the suspects so that Josh can be found alive.

Lullaby is Sherry Scarpaci's first mystery novel and it's a winner. The pace is fast and the tension real. Vicki is a strong heroine with a resolve to prove her theory is correct -- almost to the point of obsession. Previously Ms. Scarpaci had written articles in Woman's World Magazine and the Star Newspaper. It is to her credit that she took the jump into writing a novel. Her writing skills are evident in this tale that builds to an exciting conclusion. She is currently working on a second mystery and I look forward to its completion