Missing Mark

by Julie Kramer

Book Overview

In this page-turning sequel to Stalking Susan, TV reporter Riley Spartz pursues a curious story of a bride left at the altar and finds herself caught in a dangerous missing-person case. When Riley Spartz sees a want ad reading "Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn," her news instincts tell her that the backstory might make an intriguing television sweeps piece. The groom, Mark, last seen at the rehearsal dinner, never showed up for the wedding, humiliating...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385524773
• ISBN13: 9780385524773
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 4.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A perfect summer novel

I had not read the first book ("Stalking Susan") in this series, but the premise of "Missing Mark" (a TV news reporter spies an ad for a wedding dress, "never worn," and decides to scout out the backstory) was too intriguing to pass up. The good news is that it's not necessary to read the books in sequence; the author does a good job of casually filling readers in on needed details without being overly redundant. But I'm glad I took the chance on hopping in on the series midstream, because this was one downright entertaining mystery. Riley Spartz is a sympathetic protagonist and excellent role model for women: successful, independent, resourceful, and intelligent. She has experienced tragedy and trauma in her past, but it's made her more resilient. Julie Kramer is an excellent writer who knows how to keep the action going and how to introduce enough plot elements to keep readers glued in their chairs until way past their bedtimes. She is so gifted at drawing readers into the story, in fact, that it didn't even bother me when the coincidences started accumulating (Spartz stumbles over more dead bodies than would be statistically expected) and the plot twists became even more convoluted. (Without giving away too much of the plot, I will say that crucial aspects hinge on an extremely rare psychological disorder.) In the hands of a less gifted writer, these features could've doomed the book to mediocrity. But in "Missing Mark," everything comes together and the reader finishes the book satisfied and looking forward to the next one in the series. A serendipitous feature of the novel is just how informative it is about the world of TV news. Kramer obviously has worked in broadcast news before, and I learned many fascinating details about such topics as: the hidden aspects of how stories are chosen to be pursued or aired; the legal debates with the station's lawyer that are carried about regarding whether certain pieces of news or interviews can even be aired; the best way to approach apprehensive or outwardly hostile interview subjects; and even such detail as how to arrange lighting or angles while shooting accompanying video footage. I found this kind of detail to be highly interesting, educational even, and adding greatly to the realism of the book. Those who enjoy mysteries should love this novel. I know I did. And now I'm off to backtrack and order "Stalking Susan"...

The Groom is Gone

Julie Kramer follows the award winning STALKING SUSAN with a second winner MISSING MARK. Ratings month has Riley Spartz chasing a missing fish and living next door to a garage sale that extends to all hours of the night, while her interest is drawn to a for sale ad of a wedding dress that was never worn. The jilted bride suffers from "face blindness" and is a wealthy heiress. The ad has story screaming from the print though her boss doesn't agree. The pace is fast and the prose is taunt as the reader follows Riley to White Bear Lake on a quest to find the groom who didn't make his wedding and to nail her story. Summer mystery reading at its best. Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

The Exciting Life of a TV Newswoman!

Author Julie Kramer is an award-winning network news producer. The book "Missing Mark" is written from the point of view of Riley Spartz, an investigative reporter in Minneapolis where Kramer has worked. Kramer writes fascinatingly of a world she knows very well! There is a major mystery in the book that has a very interesting development and ending. Subplots also strongly pull the reader along. The mystery turns out to be related to Poe's story, "The Fall of the House of Usher." But the tone of this book is much brighter. "Missing Mark" is a good read. And lots of information about the television news world!

Missing Mark

The second in a series featuring Riley Spartz, Missing Mark, was a well written mystery. I wished while reading the book that I had been able to read the first book in the series as I am one that likes to read a series in order, but enough information was given throughout the book, that you weren't left floundering wondering about Riley's background. Riley is an investigative TV reporter and upon seeing an ad in the newspaper for a wedding dress for sale that had never been worn, felt that there was a story somewhere in that little ad. Learning that the groom hadn't shown up at the wedding 6 months before, sets Riley off on a hunt to find him. Is he missing or dead? No one really knows and other than his mother and jilted bride, no one seems to care. What people do care about is that an extra large bass was stolen from an aquarium at the Mall of America. This is the story Riley's boss wants her to focus in on. A story of love and betrayal, murder and mayhem, drug sniffing dogs and rare medical conditions are all woven together into an interesting yet easy read. If you like cozy mysteries where the `bad guy' gets what is coming to them, you should enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to more books in this series and hope the author can maintain and grow Riley as the main character.

No sophomore slump for "Kramer the Namer"

Julie Kramer's debut novel, Stalking Susan, involved Minnesota investigative journalist Riley Spartz pursuing a serial killer of women named Susan. Some marketing genius at Doubleday thought it would be a good idea to send a galley to every Susan on their mailing list. He must have been right; I couldn't resist reading it. And I found it to be an exceptionally entertaining debut. In Missing Mark, Kramer is sticking with what works--namely an appealing protagonist and a strong supporting cast. Aside from her considerable mystery solving abilities, Riley is a constant font of info on the TV news biz, and I, for one, find it as fascinating as the cases she investigates. Likewise, the series' supporting characters are uniformly interesting without being too quirky to be real. Good news, the entire gang is back this time around, including some characters I didn't necessarily expect to see again. The plot of this second novel involves a missing persons case. Specifically, it's Mark, a bridegroom who fails to show on his wedding day--or in the several months that have passed since. Riley's cases are never simple, and this investigation quickly grows convoluted, with any number of possible explanations, suspects, and motives. However, Riley's boss thinks a missing bigmouth bass will garner higher ratings for sweeps. She may be right. Two-thirds of the way through, I figured out who-done-it and why. I have no idea where that intuitive leap came from, but it was no fault of Kramer's plotting, which is tight and well-paced. I don't have a lot of time for mystery series, but I'm going to stick with Riley & Co. (For readers intrigued by this book, I'd suggest backing up and reading Stalking Susan first. Lucky you, it's just been released in paperback.) So far, the name books are a nice blend of light and dark entertainment. They're not terribly violent or graphic and the mysteries within feel fresh. In conclusion, I'm Recommending Riley and Judging Julie to be well worth your reading time.