A SPLASH OF RED

by Antonia Fraser ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 18, 1981

In the social world of Jemima Shore, Investigator (as she is often addressed by friends and strangers alike), the ladies pack lightly, expensively, and often--as they move from bed to bed, sex to sex. So, unlike the weak but agreeable Quiet as a Nun, this new case for TV-celebrity Jemima is shrill with criss-crossing passions. In search of a quiet place to write, Jemima moves in temporarily (and platonically) with writer-friend Chloe Fontaine, a frail flower who drives men mad--and turns up stabbed to death after departing for an illicit rendezvous with unflappable tycoon Sir Richard Lionnel. Suspects abound, especially since Chloe was three months pregnant: handsome third-floor squatter Adam Adamson; Sir Richard; his jealous wife; and Chloe's most recent live-in lover--volatile, mostly drunk painter Kevin John Athlone. Inspector Pompey considers Kevin John the prime suspect, but Jemima's much-vaunted curiosity and brainpower produce a different solution. . . with melodramatic consequences. Unconvincing people, contrived plotting, artificial chatter--and only for those won over by the Antonia Fraser byline and the trendy veneer that, this time more so than in previous Jemimas, goes along with it.

Pub Date: Jan. 18, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1981

Categories: FICTION