View source for The Politician's Daughter by Marion Leigh

{{infobox1
|title=The Politician's Daughter
|sort=Politician's Daughter
|author=Marion Leigh
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Thrillers
|summary=A tense and atmospheric thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.  Marion Leigh has a real talent for keeping you guessing.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=376
|publisher=Rudling House
|date=June 2011
|isbn=978-0956276032
|cover=0956276032
|aznuk=0956276032
|aznus=0956276032
}}

I had to feel sorry for Canadian Emily Mortlake, the titular politician's daughter.  OK, so going off on a summer job on a mega yacht might have sounded glamorous, but even before she went there were indications that some quite ''personal'' services might be required.  It didn't worry Emily, but when she went missing there weren't that many people who were worried about her.  Her father didn't want anything made public as a scandal could damage his political career.  The dean of her college didn't want the spotlight of publicity focused on the college: there'd been a lot of fuss about fees recently and he preferred to avoid the tabloid headlines.  Even her friend Amy who reported Emily missing seemed most worried that she couldn't get on with her work.  Petra Minx of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Marine Unit was in the UK on holiday and she was sent to investigate.

Now, where Emily Mortlake was arrogant, Petra Minx was headstrong and determined.  She decided - against the advice of her mentor Tom Gilmore - that the best way of finding out what happened to Emily was to sign on as crew on the same yacht - the ''Titania''.  Once there she was surprised to find that no one denied that Emily has been on board, but the explanations for her departure all varied slightly.  And then she had to follow Emily's trail from Monte Carlo to Spain and on to Morocco.  There's one drawback though: Don Leon, the owner of the yacht is charismatic and Petra's not immune.

Marion Leigh has a real talent for ramping up the tension and keeping it there.  There's a skilful use of the exotic locations, but it's the scenes on the water which steal the show: you get the sense that Leigh knows her yachts and that there's an awful lot more that she could tell you, rather than that she's shoehorned in every bit of research that she's done.  Similarly, with the land locations - you get a feel for the places, rather than a guide book thrown onto the page.  It's classy.

The characters impressed too.  I warmed to Petra Minx and I found that when I put the book down I was subconsciously ''worrying'' about her.  She has a talent for getting into trouble and I lost count of the number of occasions I wanted to shout at her not to ''do'' that - and then had to remind myself that it was fiction.  There are not that many fictional characters involve me to that extent.  I felt the chemistry between her and Don Leon too - and sensed how difficult it was for her to put the job first.  Well, most of the time.

I was kept guessing by the plot too and certainly as we got closer to the end I was reaching to turn the next page as I finished turning the last.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.  I shall worry about Petra Minx until I find out what happens to her next.

It's good to meet a feisty female investigator.  You might also enjoy [[Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak]], another crime thriller or [[The Widow by Fiona Barton]].  We've also enjoyed [[A Holiday to Die For by Marion Leigh]], [[A Stranger on Board by Cameron Ward]] and [[I Kill by Giorgio Faletti]].

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