Unimaginative plot and tiresome writing leave the reader stranded at sea. After 28 novels (Divas, Inc., 2004, etc.), maybe...
A couple of seasoned con artists tackle their toughest challenge to date.
For ten years, Eva and Jake Kelly have been hustling to support their flashy lifestyle. They rationalize their crimes by blaming their impoverished upbringing: They steal to make up for all the things they were deprived of as children. Reveling in their riches, they’re thrilled to put their troubled pasts behind them and enjoy splashy shopping sprees. Another plus to thieving is the role it plays in this oversexed duo’s extremely physical relationship; ripping off unsuspecting victims serves as foreplay. It seems inevitable that Eva and Jake’s luck will run out, and sure enough, greed gets the best of these thrill-seekers when a Las Vegas con goes bad. Their mark, a Midwestern businessman, turns out to be a poor choice; he’s married to an FBI agent, who hatches a plan to turn would-be blackmailers Jake and Eva into her pawns. If they don’t help her steal a cache of diamonds from a South American drug lord, she threatens to put them behind bars for extortion and theft. The plot, silly from the beginning, becomes simply ridiculous as the Kellys board the very swank cruise ship on which the drug lord is transporting his stash. Hill appears to have done little research to support this crime caper. She glosses over details about locks, computers codes and counterfeiting, unavoidable elements of modern action and suspense novels, in favor of sex scenes. The author does have a knack for getting down and dirty in the bedroom, but the story is otherwise a snooze.
Unimaginative plot and tiresome writing leave the reader stranded at sea. After 28 novels (Divas, Inc., 2004, etc.), maybe Hill just has no more tricks up her sleeve.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-312-35421-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
An appealing, three-dimensional heroine and some clever plot twists make this an enjoyable, quick read.
In this mystery novel, somebody’s been killing the proprietors of a prestigious inn, and the newest innkeeper is determined to find out why before she becomes the next victim.
Doyle (The Infidelity Pact, 2008, etc.) is a self-described “foodie” and an avid cheerleader for the quaint village of East Hampton, New York, and she indulges both of these passions in this first installment of her new Hamptons Murder Mysteries series. Recently transplanted from California following a nasty divorce, 35-year-old protagonist Antonia Bingham has bought the Windmill Inn from the estate of Gordon Haslett, who died suddenly, apparently from a heart attack. An inventive, passionate chef, Antonia has just reopened the inn’s restaurant when she learns from two of her regulars, Len and Sylvia Powers, that the circumstances surrounding Gordon’s death were suspicious. Worse, he wasn’t the first owner of the inn to experience an untimely death. Now, strange things are happening to Antonia—someone removes a stepladder while she’s installing a light bulb, someone locks her in a supply closet, and more. Her new buddy, Joseph Fowler, a 60-something widower, joins in the amateur sleuthing as they try to sort out the possible motives of a multitude of suspects; Gordon, they discover, was universally disliked. Doyle is an enthusiastic guide for Long Island’s East End village; she details each street and shop, the spectacular beaches, and the unique play of sunlight that has been a siren call to artists for more than a century. She also gives readers plenty of opportunities to vicariously indulge in every mouthwatering bite that Antonia and her restaurant patrons consume—especially if the item is loaded with butter, sugar, or some other comforting dietary no-no. Doyle also pays careful attention to housing décor, wardrobe selections, and the hairstyles of every character, which perhaps stems from her experience as a screenwriter (Intern, 2009). The generally smooth prose maintains a gentle pace, although there are one or two unnecessarily awkward lead-ins, such as “an odd incident occurred that unnerved Antonia and once again gave her pause about her own mortality.” The dinner-table gathering of suspects isn’t an original device, but it’s fun and satisfying nonetheless.
An appealing, three-dimensional heroine and some clever plot twists make this an enjoyable, quick read.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9972701-4-3
Page Count: 410
Publisher: Dunemere Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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A good one in the tough school, in which private detective Marlowe is hired to investigate a blackmailing and finds himself bucking a well-run gang, several murders, and the D A's office. Hard-boiled, fast paced, plenty of action, some sensationalism. Not for conservatives.
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 1938
ISBN: 0394758285
Page Count: 244
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1938
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