Kindle Edition Amazon sharonburchtoner.com Amazon Barnes & Noble Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Create Space ISBN-10:  1440419280 Type: Fiction Pages: 206 Copyright: Nov 17, 2008 ISBN-13: 9781440419287 Price: $3.99 (eBook) When Florida psychotherapist, Maggie McGill, visits her daughter, Allie, in California, the visit is plagued by a series of mysterious and increasingly dangerous events. The two women are caught up in a mystery that leads them into a twisting trail of terror. An inscrutable Sufi mystic appears mysteriously to help them escape with their lives. When psychotherapist, Maggie McGill, living in Florida, visits her 30-something daughter, Allie, in California, she is looking forward to a couple of uneventful weeks of vacation. Almost immediately upon deplaning, curious coincidences begin to occur: Maggie and Allie are abducted, thrown into a dark room with another occupant named Mohammed Hadi El Kabir, a Sufi mystic. He guides them through their ordeal as he philosophically reassures them that they will be freed in Allah’s own time. All is resolved by the story’s end. Though this is a fast-paced, light-hearted novel, the mystery at the heart of the story is serious as it deals with current themes in international news. A recurring theme in the Maggie McGill mysteries is the close, supportive relationship between Maggie and Allie as they confront and deal with the frightening events around them. This is suspenseful story telling tempered by a sense of fun and lighthearted mystery. This first of a series novel is set in California – Malibu, San Francisco and Big Sur, replete with warm, sunny days, sandy beaches, deep blue ocean, eucalyptus trees and dramatic sunsets. Excerpt “MAGGIE'S IMAGE” – book excerpt Maggie and Allie sat side by side on the edge of the bed. “If this were the movies we’d pull out a hairpin, work some mechanical magic and escape,” Allie said dejectedly. “Women don’t use hairpins much these days.” Maggie mused, “What do we have to work with? A bed with bed linens. Two night stands with lamps. Two really heavy chairs. A room lined with mirrors—even the ceiling! My God, it makes you think!” She broke into a soft chuckle. “Mom, back to business. We can analyze the owner later.” “Okay. Okay. I read a novel once where the prisoners wired the doorknob so that when the villains opened the door they were electrocuted. What do you think? We could use the lamp cord.” Maggie whispered hopefully. “Great. But what if we screw it up and electrocute ourselves?” “What if we don’t?” Maggie responded. “You sound just like Pooh!” “I know.” Maggie grinned in the dark. “But Pooh never let himself feel scared.” Allie whispered, “Yeah. I guess we can use some of that. Okay. Let’s check out a lamp. This would be easier if we could see.” “But then they might know we’re up and about.” “Yeah, I know.” Allie picked up the nearest lamp and followed its cord to the socket. She unplugged it and lifted the lamp. “Ugh. This sucker is heavy. Let’s see if we can find an outlet near the door.” They crawled again examining by touch the walls on either side of the door. “Psst. Found one. Bring the lamp.” Maggie held the cord near the outlet while Allie carried the lamp toward the door, stretching the cord out. “Rats.” The cord was at least eighteen inches too short to reach. “Now what?” Maggie sighed and took another deep breath. “Well, Sweetie, I have only one other thought right now. I really liked the electrocution idea. It had so much style!” Allie whispered impatiently, “Who cares about style. What’s the idea? We just need to get out of here.” “We could push the chairs behind the door and bash them with a lamp when they come through the door. No style at all, but probably effective,” Maggie said glumly. Allie smiled. “Sounds perfect to me, Mom. Let’s do it!” With much quiet grunting and panting they pushed the two chairs across the deep carpet to the door and placed one on either side of it. They placed the bed pillows lengthwise on the bed to give what they hoped would give a momentary impression of their two bodies still incapacitated. Finally they each took a heavy lamp and climbed onto a chair to wait. “If there are two of them, I’ll take the first one. You get the second. Okay?” Allie asked. “Right. You get the first. I’ll get the second. Boy, I sure wish I knew karate or something,” Maggie whispered.

Library of Clean Reads
Maggie’s Image: A Maggie McGill Mystery by Sharon Burch Toner
ISBN: 9781440419287
Published by: CreateSpace
Published Nov 17, 2008
Trade paperback, 200 pages

Maggie McGill, a psychotherapist living in Florida, visits her 30-something daughter, Allie, in California. She is looking forward to a couple of uneventful weeks of vacation with her daughter. Almost immediately upon deplaning, curious coincidences begin to occur. Observant Maggie notes the presence of several sinister dark-skinned, turbaned, Arab-looking men and wonders about it. Unexplained falling rocks threaten Maggie as she sits on a bench; the wife of a French tourist who was on the same plane as Maggie disappears.

Later, while in an art gallery a stranger warns Maggie to “stay out of things that do not concern you. Give us the picture. Forget the French couple. Go home. You have been warned.” Huh? Maggie and Allie have no idea what that means. Allie’s beautiful house overlooking the sea is broken into and trashed – obviously someone is looking for something.

Enter Harry Cavanagh of the CIA, who was also on Maggie’s plane. And the mystery intensifies! Then, Maggie and Allie are abducted, thrown into a dark room with another occupant named Mohammed Hadi El Kabir, a Sufi mystic (another dark-skinned man, but a “good guy”, this time). He guides them through their ordeal as he philosophically reassures them that they will be freed in Allah’s own time. All is resolved by the story’s end. Though this is a fast-paced light-hearted novel, the mystery at the heart of the story is serious as it deals with current themes in international news.

I liked the creative plot and the rounded-out characters of Maggie and Allie. Both are strong, sensible, independent, resourceful women. I especially enjoyed the author’s description of the close, supportive relationship between Maggie and Allie as they confront and try to deal with the frightening events swirling around them. Add into the mix a couple of handsome men and the stage is set for romance also. And what better background to these events than warm, sunny California, replete with sun, sand, ocean, and eucalyptus trees. If you've ever been to California, you will recognize the author’s description of the coastline from Monterey to Big Sur!

I highly recommend this delightful, first-of-a-series book.

Kirkus
Maggie's Image
A Maggie McGill Mystery
by Sharon Burch Toner
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KIRKUS REVIEW
Toner’s (Maggie’s Ghost, 2013, etc.) reissued first entry in the Maggie McGill mystery series, featuring a psychotherapist/amateur sleuth and her beautiful photographer daughter, Allie.
Florida resident Maggie McGill visits her 30-something daughter, Allie, in Southern California, never guessing that a casually taken snapshot at the LA airport will have huge repercussions. Initially, Maggie dismisses the fact that she keeps running into people from her flight in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. She also believes that a firmly embedded rock that rolls down the hill and lands inches from her is a fluke. However, when Brigitte, a honeymooning French woman she met on the plane, disappears, and one of Maggie’s mysterious followers turns out to be a CIA agent, Maggie and her daughter accept that they have become the quarry of some very dangerous people—though they still do not understand why. Featuring beautiful scenery, delicious meals, hints of romance and a miraculously conflict-free mother-daughter relationship, this cozy has just the right amount of suspense. Maggie, a mature woman of indeterminate age, is a looker, as agent Harry Cavanaugh clearly finds her appealing. The most intriguing character, however, is Hadi, a prescient, serene man whose involvement in the case remains unexplained. The Middle Eastern villains seem a bit clichéd and dated (although the novel was initially released in 2008), and references to them as “Arabs” skirt political correctness; however, the motive is secondary to the action itself. The apparent resolution of the plot with nearly 50 pages left in the book is initially troubling, but Toner doesn’t disappoint; the most harrowing scenes occur at the end of the book. Best yet, the excerpt from the second book shows that Hadi returns.
A very pleasant introduction to a promising mystery series; and there’s no wait for subsequent books.