Ephron manages to treat the hackneyed subject of the amnesiac witness/victim with remarkable sensitivity to the mind's...
The generic title, like the mind of auto insurance adjuster Sylvia Jackson, conceals a diabolical mystery. In the months since Sylvia was shot and left for dead in Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery as her boyfriend Tony Ruggiero lay tortured and murdered in her home, the blank slate of her mind has gradually been filled in. Now she's ready to identify her bantamweight ex-husband Stuart as the killer. So Stuart's public defender Chip Ferguson, equally convinced of his innocence and suspecting that Sylvia's memories may have been imprinted by Sylvia's constant questioner, Sgt. Joseph McRae, asks neuropsychologist Peter Zak to examine Sylvia and assess the current state of her memory. Peter, who last worked with Chip on a case that left Peter's wife dead, would rather walk through fire than take this one. But there's actually no choice to make: Soon after he begins examining Sylvia, he gets to walk through fire anyway. His work with his other patients—especially Korsakoff's sufferer Jack O'Flanagan and suicidal incest survivor Maria Whitson—suffers. His credibility is attacked on the witness stand and off, and the rest of him is attacked by a hooded assailant intent on killing him. And that's all before the ugly, unguessable surprises his pseudonymous authors (psychologist A.A. Greeley teaming with freelancer Hallie Ephron) are planning to spring on him in the end.
Ephron manages to treat the hackneyed subject of the amnesiac witness/victim with remarkable sensitivity to the mind's complexity while providing all the thrills you expect from the genre. First of a welcome new series.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-312-26867-X
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
A thrilling—and hilarious—beginning to a promising new series.
Determined to live an independent life, Veronica Speedwell is anything but a proper Victorian lady. So when her home is attacked during her aunt’s funeral, a rollicking adventure ensues.
Mastermind of the charming Lady Grey Mysteries series, Raybourn (Bonfire Night, 2014, etc.) introduces her latest feisty heroine, deftly twining together suspense, romance, and cracking good dialogue. Certainly, lepidoptery should be a suitable hobby for a lady; chasing pretty things like butterflies can hold no dangers. But Veronica, a foundling raised from birth by her two late aunts, has taken things a little too far: by capturing and selling highly sought-after butterflies, she’s financed her own expeditions to exotic locations, where she’s indulged in emotionally careful yet physically torrid affairs. After rescuing Veronica from her attacker, Baron von Stauffenbach whisks her to London, depositing her in the care of the enigmatic Mr. Stoker, a brooding, Byronic hero of the natural history persuasion. Before the Baron can return to tell Veronica what he knows of her mother, he's found dead, and the police like Stoker for a suspect. Stoker and Veronica partner up to find the real culprit, hurtling pell-mell into a captivatingly intricate plot, including a traveling circus, the fetid Thames, and the Tower of London, as they dodge villains with murky motives and hulking henchmen. Soon, they realize that Stauffer’s death may be connected to the mystery of Veronica’s birth parents, and Stoker himself has a few secrets to discover, including what really happened on his disastrous expedition to the Amazon, which left him scarred and disgraced. As Veronica and Stoker careen through dastardly plot twists, they match wits, bantering with skill worthy of Tracey and Hepburn.
A thrilling—and hilarious—beginning to a promising new series.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-451-47601-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: New American Library
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
A character-driven procedural that subordinates its mystery to a strong sense of place and family ties.
A poor New Mexico border county’s residents are proud of an unusual tourist attraction and concerned about a possible new development that could threaten it, the jobs it provides, and ultimately the county’s peace.
Posadas County (Lies Come Easy, 2018, etc.) is home to NightZone, a combination of astronomical observatory, high-end hotel, restaurant, and walking trails that draws tourists from all over the world, most arriving on a purpose-built narrow-gauge train from the county seat. Taciturn sheriff Bobby Torrez sends his more socially adept undersheriff, Estelle Reyes-Guzman, to the county commissioners meeting, where developer Kyle Thompson, who just bought a large tract of land next to the observatory, is expected to make a presentation. Instead of coming, Kyle sends word that he wants to meet with Miles Waddell, who used part of the hefty fortune he inherited to finance NightZone and worries that a large development will ruin the near-total darkness the observatory needs. Eventually Kyle sends along his gun-toting wife, Lydia, who accepts Miles’ offer of a room at NightZone, has a pleasant chat with Miles and Estelle, reveals nothing of Kyle’s plans, but later tells Estelle that he doesn’t want to ruin NightZone. The sheriffs have other fish to fry when a gunman shoots up the local newspaper office and wounds two workers. The weapon is a .22 aimed with precision from a stolen vehicle. Torrez suspects his wild nephew, Quentin, may be involved. That case pales when Kyle Thompson either falls or is pushed off a mesa to his death. The way his body lands indicates murder, and his wife isn’t willing to leave the case to the police. Both Thompsons were New York State Police officers, so Lydia has investigative skills, but her pain may lead her into danger. The experienced sheriffs must unravel both cases in Havill’s 24th Posadas mystery.
A character-driven procedural that subordinates its mystery to a strong sense of place and family ties.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-9909-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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