Lisa Jamison – an investigative journalist in her hometown of Seneca Springs, New York. She is only in her early thirties, but has a sixteen year old daughter, whom she adores. She was a teenage runaway who became pregnant at fifteen. Completely estranged from her birth family, Lisa has only herself to thank for her success in life.

Her old boyfriend, Marty, has just been murdered. The authorities say he was a criminal, and a drug dealer. Lisa knows this cannot be right. She has faith that Marty would never have dealt drugs. Lisa investigates the circumstances behind his death in order to give her daughter a more accurate picture of who her father was…

Bridget Jamison – sixteen and riddled with teenage angst. She loves her mother and Dorothy, yet can’t seem to communicate with them anymore.

Dorothy – is Lisa’s best friend who is thirty-one years her senior. Dorothy began living with them to care for Lisa’s daughter Bridget, when she was younger and Lisa worked odd hours. Now, Dorothy, an artist, is a much loved part of the family and they couldn’t imagine her living anywhere else.Although this is the author’s debut novel, the writing was very assured and polished. A former crime journalist, she was already a seasoned writer.

The plot was scarily plausible and the tension of the chapters ramped up gradually throughout the novel.

My only quibble with the novel is that once again, the female protagonist took foolish risks in her quest for justice – though without these risks, the ‘bad guys’ would never have been apprehended.

I loved the family dynamic and rooted for each and every one of them throughout each tension-filled page. The excellent characterization gives this suspense thriller more heft than many of its peers.

All in all, “A Dead Man’s Eyes” was a stellar start to a new crime series. I’ve already got the second novel, “Never Broken” loaded on my Kindle. Highly recommended.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Level Best Books via NetGalley.  This is a title from my NetGalley backlist which I should have read and reviewed ages ago… my apologies to the author and the publisher.

  ISBN: 9781953789259 – ASIN:  ‎ B08Y66CCVZ – 228 pages

Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter who writes fiction and nonfiction from the hills of Northern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and four children. She was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, where a part of her heart remains.

Her short fiction has appeared in the journal Aethlon, and in the anthologies Short Story America and Childhood Regained. Her nonfiction has appeared in Healthy Living, Running Times, Literary Mama, Crimespree and Mountain Home magazines.

A Dead Man’s Eyes, the first in the Lisa Jamison mystery/suspense series, is her debut novel. Book two in the series, Never Broken, is available now. Her first standalone thriller, Never Let Go, releases in December of 2022. She is also author of Raising Identical Twins: The Unique Challenges and Joys of the Early Years.

Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, The Historical Novel Society and Pennwriters. She is also vice president of the Knoxville (PA) Public Library board.

Lori Duffy Foster lives with her husband, Tom Foster, a fellow author.

Connect with Lori Duffy Foster on Twitter, her website, or on Instagram.