Virtually Lace (High-Tech Crime Solvers Book 1)
by Uvi Poznansky
Reviewed by S. S. Bazinet

Description:
From USA Today bestselling author, Uvi Poznansky, comes a gripping techno-thriller, part of a multi-author series tied together by an interlocking cast of characters, all centered around the fantastic new promise of high technology and the endless possibilities for crime that technology offers, in a world where getting away with murder can be not only plausible, but easy…if you just know how.
Haunted by finding the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael recreates the murder in virtual reality. Can he solve the mystery, before the man who killed Lace turns on the woman he loves?

Suffering some memory loss due to a violent incident in her past, Ash is unable to identify her attacker. Despite the persistent fear, she puts her life in danger to draw out the suspect, so as to avenge Lace’s murder.

Meanwhile, the cops treat Michael as their prime suspect. The only reason they haven’t arrested him yet is an urgent rescue mission, as Laguna Beach is engulfed in flames. Will Michael manage to slip away from them and save his sweetheart before it’s too late?

Review: Thrills and chills, tracking a murder, virtual style!

In the opening scene, it’s sunset. Michael has parked near Laguna Beach to admire the view. As darkness creeps in, a breeze seems to be whispering something to him, something about murder. A young woman passes by. She’s in a hurry. Michael thinks he might have seen her before. Drawn to her for some unknown reason, his instinct is to follow her. She hurries away from him, scurrying down a beach trail. Everything is bathed in shadows as he pursues her. They’re separated by the rugged way the trail weaves in and out, but in the end, when Michael catches up to her, the girl is dead.

Later, Michael uses his virtual reality software to reconstruct the murder scene, and I feel like author Uvi Poznansky’s writing skills create a virtual reality for the reader. Our senses are pulled into the story from the beginning. The snap of a twig, darkness curtailing our vision, shadows transforming the landscape and making it dreamlike, these are the elements that make Poznansky’s story come alive. I was there, following Michael, tuned into his thoughts and frightened that something ominous was waiting for the girl he was trailing. When he loses his phone at the scene of the crime, I felt for him as he desperately searches for it in the water. I felt his confusion about what to do next. Should he call the police or will they think he might be the murderer?

There’s also a love story and a previous, unfortunate event that has fractured the bond that Michael and his girlfriend, Ash, have for each other. In spite of the trauma that Ash has suffered, she is intent on helping Michael. She doesn’t know who attacked her, but the girl’s murder motivates her to take action. She’s willing to put herself in danger to find the killer of the girl named Lace.

The vivid descriptions and the tension are there throughout the story. Will Michael be wrongly accused? Can his virtual reality program deliver up the killer? Will Ash survive or will the killer claim a second victim? There are lots of twists and turns in the story just as there were twists and turns when Michael was pursuing the girl. I was kept guessing and needed to keep reading until I finished the book.

On a final note, I was impressed by the way the author introduced the idea of virtual reality programs and how realistic they can seem. Again, the descriptions create an authentic, intense experience for the reader. We get a glimpse into the future and what might be waiting for us as virtual realities become part of life. Excellent storytelling! Highly recommended! Five stars!

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Visit Uvi Poznansky’s website, her pages on Twitter and Facebook.