“A powerful tale… Hellmann is adept at welding technical information to strong characters… Foreman’s pluck and grit married to Hellmann’s solid storytelling should win a growing audience… “ —Publishers Weekly

“Not only has Hellmann created a compelling group of believable characters, but the mystery she places them in is likewise plausible and engrossing. An Image of Death is highly recommended, even if you don't live in Illinois…” —Chicago Sun-Times

“As she did in her first two books in this strong series, Hellmann makes sure that images captured on video play an important part in the action. And she balances Foreman's personal life…with her complicated, dangerous frontstory…” —Chicago Tribune

“A chilling subject matter, intriguing psychological suspense, and disturbing Eastern European connections …” —Library Journal

Who knew that a career in video documentaries could lead to crime? Such is the fate of Chicago’s Ellie Foreman whose shoots hook her up with misdeeds past and present. Here she is producing a video about foster children that’s being financed by a successful Chicago real estate developer. Her plans get thrown for a loop when a mysterious package appears at her door one winter night. Inside she finds a surveillance video showing the murder of a young woman. Who was this woman and what is her connection to Ellie? 

The cops shunt her aside, but the urgency she feels to find answers, coupled with her professional knowledge of film, compel her to sleuth despite the difficulties borne from a complex history with her lover, David. A little digging reveals that the murder victim was a courier with a dark history forged in Eastern Europe at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse. And a little more digging reveals dark happenings here at home, money laundering, and the deadly price of dealing in diamonds...