An often engrossing, if sometimes-confusing, murder mystery/adventure that’s full of twists and turns.
In his latest novel, Wellington (The Modern American Woman, 2014) observes and dissects an ill-fated power struggle between two brothers.
In Texas, where everything is said to be bigger, Jerry and Barry Watson are top attorneys. The two single, middle-aged brothers are skilled in the arts of argument and persuasion, as well as the convoluted inner workings of the American legal system. They know how to get what they want—whatever the cost. Their kind niece, Amanda, is married to Charles, an African engineer who’s still getting used to the strange rituals of Americans. He often becomes engrossed in philosophical streams of thought: “These beautiful sunrays had made the earthbound voyage all night long with no departure from their command. What if for some reason the spatial journey had not gone as programmed? What if the sun itself goes dead?” One Saturday, while on an outing with his two uncles-in-law, he naively suggests that the talented brothers could “both be governors—I mean, one after the other. Just something to consider, that’s all.” Charles’ comment spurs a malicious, yet unspoken, fight between Jerry and Barry as they stealthily compete to fill the open leadership positon. The conflict leads to a slew of plot twists, including an unearthed family tragedy, a sick love triangle and a dangerous hot air balloon ride in Africa. Such varied, adventurous turns will likely captivate readers and keep them guessing until the end. However, the packed plot can become confusing and sometimes loses its way, spending too much time on the concept of “the African Matriarch” and Amanda’s exact relation to her uncles. Overall, however, the story provides a wild ride through a power struggle; recommended for readers who enjoy a fierce family feud.
An often engrossing, if sometimes-confusing, murder mystery/adventure that’s full of twists and turns.Pub Date: June 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-1499101874
Page Count: 264
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
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