PAWNS

by Willo Davis Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1998

The tragic deaths of her parents--one from cancer, the other a grief-stricken suicide--effectively leave Teddi homeless, but her kindly next-door-neighbor, Mamie, who lost her own son Ricky in an airplane crash, becomes her foster parent. Teddi, not entirely at home, but wholly aware of the alternatives, is attempting to settle in as the book opens; the doorbell rings and a very pregnant young woman announces that she is Dora, Ricky's wife. Mamie is delighted, though puzzled that Ricky never told her of Dora's existence. Teddi is frightened as Dora pushes her way into Mamie's home and as she and the coming baby take center stage. All the inconsistencies in Dora's stories of Ricky and their marriage make Teddi even more wary, but she feels enough of an outsider to remain quiet. A large life insurance policy, naming Mamie as the beneficiary, surfaces, and Dora is more than a little interested in the money. Only readers' doubts that this mystery is as conventional as it appears will keep them going; every element is predictable, right down to Mamie's apparent decision to help Dora and the baby. Roberts (The Kidnappers, 1998, etc.) works tight and fast, but this story will disappoint even her most zealous fans.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 154

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S