The Right Wrong Thing
"Randy Alderson Spelling looks more like a girl than a woman. So tiny she's nearly lost I the cushions of my office couch. Her legs jut out over the floor until she scoots forward and places her feet squarely on the ground, leaving a foot of space behind her. She waits for me to start, all the while pulling on her fingers, cracking each tiny knuckle. I'm the last hurdle between her and the job she covets - a police officer for the Kenilworth Police Department."
The Right Wrong Thing by Ellen Kirschman is the second novel in the Dot Meyerhoff Mystery series featuring police psychologist, Dot Meyerhoff. Dr.Meyerhoff is the liaison between police officers and the department. Randy Spelling is a new graduate, eager to get out there and solve some crimes. Her first day out is disastrous, in the pursuit of a suspected criminal, Randy freezes, which could have put her and her partner in serious circumstances, her partner actually gets hurt. After this happens Officer Spelling is ostracized by some of the men in her department.
When Officer Spelling is out, she inadvertently shoots and kills a young black teenager who is pregnant. Not only is she trying to be a good cop, but she becomes a target for the black community who want her punished. She is found to have done the right thing, but she does not feel that way. Officer She wants to put things right by apologizing to the young girls family. She is ridden with guilt and just wants to put things right. What ensues is Dot getting involved where she is told to stay out of it, it is not in her line of duty. She ignores all of that and gets in over her head after a cop is killed. Written in Dr.Meyerhoff's perspective, the reader also learns about her personal relationships in and out of the police force.
The author, Ellen Kirschman writes with all of the knowledge that she possesses after being in law enforcement for many years and it shows in her writing. A novel full of twists and turns, very well written and fast paced. I really enjoyed this novel and finished it within two sittings. Even though I had not read the first book, Burying Ben, it did not detract from the storyline.
When Officer Spelling is out, she inadvertently shoots and kills a young black teenager who is pregnant. Not only is she trying to be a good cop, but she becomes a target for the black community who want her punished. She is found to have done the right thing, but she does not feel that way. Officer She wants to put things right by apologizing to the young girls family. She is ridden with guilt and just wants to put things right. What ensues is Dot getting involved where she is told to stay out of it, it is not in her line of duty. She ignores all of that and gets in over her head after a cop is killed. Written in Dr.Meyerhoff's perspective, the reader also learns about her personal relationships in and out of the police force.
The author, Ellen Kirschman writes with all of the knowledge that she possesses after being in law enforcement for many years and it shows in her writing. A novel full of twists and turns, very well written and fast paced. I really enjoyed this novel and finished it within two sittings. Even though I had not read the first book, Burying Ben, it did not detract from the storyline.
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