I enjoyed this book for the most part. The first chapter or two takes place in Iowa, and I was a bit put-off that the author seemed to regard all Iowans as redneck hicks with bad grammar and no style. Almost immediately the book moves to California, where of course everyone is super cool and hip. I almost gave up after that but kept going.
I did end up liking the main character--she, like all of us, had her issues, some of which I could identify with. All in all I thought this was a good book, and I look forward to seeing how Dot grows. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for my review.

The Fifth Reflection was not a bad book but it wasn't utterly amazing.

I actually really enjoyed the first chapter, almost more than the rest of the book, because of the familiar setting and the fact that the characters were older than I am used to finding in fiction I enjoy reading. It was interesting to see how they related and how they welcomed Frank's girlfriend into their mist. However, Dot came across as much more posh than she turned out to be, whereas Frank developed into almost the opposite, with all his fancy cooking.

When the author jumps back in time to introduce us to the very particular circumstances of Chrissy's disappearance, I lost a bit of interest, probably because it was a brake in the pace I had so enjoyed. And as the narrative evolved I could not understand why Dot kept inserting herself to the investigation when it was obvious it was putting a strain on her relationship with Frank and that the results of her doing so weren't good for the investigation either. It's almost as if she was investigating for our benefit. It would have made more sense to follow someone more personally invested in the event.
On the other hand, I enjoyed discovering what a psychologist at a police station is supposed to do.

Towards the end things just felt clumsy and rushed. Things begin falling into place much too nicely, with a character even spelling things out for us: (view spoiler)

The Fifth Reflection is not your typical psychological thriller full of twists and turns, where you are utterly surprised by each revelation. It has its own pace, with an unusual but fairly relateable main character and it was an enjoyable read, just not something I was absolutely looking forward to pick back up.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An excellent mystery filled with atmosphere and suspense. I would recommend this for mystery fans and people new to the genre. This story has its own unique flavour and does not feel formulaic.

3 and 1 / 2 Stars

Dot Meyerhoff is a single 50-something psychologist who works with the Kenilworth Police Department of about 70 officers. She has a boss, Pence, who pushes some major buttons of hers, and a boyfriend, Frank, who figures large in this book.

While I would give the writing in this book a solid “B,” the storyline is great. I didn't care much for Frank. His total devotion to JJ and his insensitivity to Dot's feelings bothered me. Also Dot seemed a little immature for a psychologist. She apparently didn't know herself very well. She must have taken different classes in graduate school than I did when I got my clinical degree.

This book is certainly a different take on the average kidnapping story. A photographer, the mother of a two year old little girl, takes photos of naked and near-naked children and calls it art. While many people admire her work, many more find it detestable and pornographic. This latter group includes the cops who investigate her daughter’s kidnapping.

While the cops chase down clues and interview witnesses and suspects, Dr. Dot Meyerhoff follows her heart – much to the furious dismay of her boss, Pence. At the same time, she is trying to help Manny Ochoa, a cop who has been assigned to the sex crimes team. He has a young daughter the same age as Chrissie, the kidnapped girl and it is tearing him apart to see the internet pornography he sees daily. It begins to affect his marriage and his job. Dot is desperate to help him, but Spence doesn’t see it – or perhaps doesn’t care to see it.

The kidnappers turn out to be a surprise and the instigator of the kidnapping is an even bigger surprise.

I want to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this interesting book to read.

Interesting police procedural with character Dot Meyerhoff police dept. psychologist.

Doctor Dot Meyerhoff, police psychologist is facing her most difficult case yet. A photographer, her fiance’s mentor is suspected in the disappearance of her own daughter, partially because of photographer takes provocative pictures of children. The case is made more difficult by Dot’s strained and contentious relationship with the chief of police and the obsessive young detective assigned to the case. This story kept me guessing, and I really enjoyed the way Dot’s relationships with the other characters in the story were developed

A scary scary possibility in today's day and age... Internet and crimes against kids are horrible and to read about it in such a raw, in y ou r face book makes you deal with these possible atrocities and truly heart wrenching... a great book... well written, plot and characters well developed and just real enough to bring deep emotions to the surface...