Multiple Exposure by Ellen Crosby MYS Cro

Photojournalist Sophie Medina returns to her home in London from an overseas assignment to find that her husband Nick has been violently abducted.  Nick worked for a British oil company as a geologist but was also an undercover agent for the CIA.  Days later his boss and owner of the oil company he worked for is found dead in the Danube River in Vienna.

Sophie stays in London, where she and Nick had been so happy, to deal with her grief.  Three months after his abduction a friend in the British government tells her that Nick might not be dead after all.  Nick has shown up in recent pictures taken in Moscow.

Not sure who to believe and wondering why Nick hasn't contacted her, Sophie returns to Washington, D.C. to be with family and friends.  While taking pictures of a Faberge egg exhibit for her new job she is threatened by a Russian oil tycoon who implicates Nick in an international energy scheme.

Sophie isn't sure who to trust but as she tries to solve the puzzle of Nick's disappearance she relies on her knowledge of Washington, D.C. and her close-knit circle of friends from her childhood as well as her wealthy and influential step-father.  What she finds out has national and international implications.

I first read Ellen Crosby's series of mysteries set in the Virginia wine country which is located just outside Washington, D.C.  She has a wonderful ability to create a sense of place.  After reading those mysteries I wanted to visit Loudon County in Virgina and ride a horse or two, go from winery to winery and do some antique shopping.

This mystery, the first in a series, had the same effect.  I've been to Washington, D.C. several times but the author described parts of the city I have never seen.  I wanted to hop on the next plane to experience it through Sophie's eyes.

"First in a series" books can sometimes be difficult to work through.  The author has to set up characters and personalities and sometimes plot can take a backseat.  This book still managed to keep the pace moving and provide an intricate mystery that isn't resolved until the very end.  I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series.