The Wrong Station (Mystery Chronicles of New York Women)

Lorna Raven’s nightmare began as the result of bad timing. Lorna is a noted videographer and had recently departed a gala in New York City and was on her way to Queens. Her miscalculation results in getting off at the wrong train stop and she finds herself adrift in an unfamiliar town at an unfriendly hour. She approaches a lit-up house and asks the homeowner for assistance. The man named Mike appears friendly enough and offers Lorna a ride. Lorna’s relief transforms into terror as a glance into another room reveals two dead bodies. Lorna maintains her calm but knows she must get away from this potentially dangerous man.

Lorna’s instincts prove right as she has Mike drop her off at a random location and he summarily follows her. Once she has managed to elude her pursuer and get home, she needs to alert the authorities. Despite being nearly inconsolable, Lorna speaks to the police along with her TV journalist brother Poe and leads them to the alleged crime scene. Lorna is floored when the house is empty and seemingly devoid of evidence. However, Poe and the cops believe her.

Lorna is determined not to let this dramatic hiccup derail her life. She wants to get lost in her work and plans to document a friend’s political campaign. Meanwhile, the man she knows as Mike and his partner are at large and are looking to tie up loose ends. Lorna is also being surveilled by a former beau and federal agent named Jefferson. The motives behind the double murder hint at cloak-and-dagger activities which necessitate Lorna being placed in a safe house under Jefferson’s watchful eye. Lorna’s world has been upended and her proximity to her ex is added to the mounting problems she must contend with.

The Wrong Station is a fine-tuned mystery that begins with a perfect take on a character being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Danger is not an unfamiliar feeling for Lorna Raven as she and her brother Poe had previously survived a harrowing ordeal involving high-level government corruption. Lorna distinguishes herself by her quick thinking both in escaping her probable executioner and getting home. The adrenaline rush from the early stages of the narrative doesn’t fade away as Mike and his partner Andrea resolve to finish their job. Lorna is an impeccable protagonist because she is human and flawed. She is determined to the point of foolhardiness, she loves Todd but still longs for Jefferson, and she is a winning character all around. Ilona Joy Saari (Freeze Frame) has written a lively and clever novel combining thrills, romance, and funny meta moments.