The latest by the author of An Honorable Profession (1991), etc., takes its cue from the most gruesome of headlines—the sort of story that forces us to contemplate the nature of evil. But L'Heureux's prologue, with its talk of ``we'' (i.e., civilized readers) and ``they'' (i.e., those lower-class types who commit such heinous crimes), suggests how difficult it is for him to get inside his characters, to transcend sociological explanations for their behavior. Mexican-American Maria Alvarez, a dark teenaged beauty, thinks that blond and blue-eyed Russell Whitaker is her ticket out of the ``hot and dirty and hopeless'' San Jose ghetto. But Russell, the son of a violent alcoholic, is incapable of breaking the cycle of abuse that has literally scarred him for life. A reluctant husband, Russell soon develops an all-consuming passion for his bride, finding ``salvation'' in her eyes. When a son arrives and Maria turns her full attention to the beautiful boy, Russell becomes ``weak and needy,'' given to drunken outbursts. Before she allows herself to join in the decline, Maria loses weight, goes back to school, gets a good job, and files for divorce. Meanwhile, Russell hits bottom, living on the streets until his obsession with his ex- wife leads to an act so horrifying that we'd reject it as implausible if it hadn't in fact happened in recent times—Russell, in a fit of trancelike anger, sets his young son on fire. From there on, the novel balances the sad tale of young John's long and painful recovery with the predictably awful experiences Russell endures in jail. A number of side stories clutter a novel that already leaps forward too quickly in time. And the big questions about guilt, salvation, God's will, etc., all seem grafted onto a melodramatic (though gripping) plot. The ``terrible'' thought L'Heureux warns us about is not all that original—that evil has a human face and is committed by ordinary people. Despite the banal notions and bland prose, the incendiary subject makes this novel both painful and poignant.
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-670-84326-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
Another heartwarming seasonal Macomber tale, which fans will find as bright and cozy as a blazing fire on Christmas Eve.
Friendly Julia Padden can’t stand her grumpy neighbor, Cain Maddox, but when her best friend goads her to kill him with kindness for the Christmas season, both their lives begin to change for the better—until he discovers she’s chronicling the experiment on a blog.
Julia’s life isn’t perfect, but she has a job at Macy’s that pays her bills while she’s looking for a marketing position. She also volunteers at her church and at the Boys and Girls Club, which helps her stay in the holiday mood even when she can’t get back to visit her family because of her hectic retail schedule. She tries hard to keep a positive attitude, so perhaps that’s why her neighbor across the hall in her apartment building is so vexing. He seems to go out of his way to be unpleasant. But when she’s complaining about the man, her best friend challenges her to be even kinder, in the true spirit of the season—and encourages her to use the experience as blog fodder, since Julia is in the running for a corporate social media position and her success depends on her ability to create a successful audience. So she begins, 12 days before Christmas, but as the days pass, she discovers that her kind acts have softened not only Cain’s demeanor, but her heart as well—and created a huge blog following. The two become friends, and Julia learns how painful Cain’s life has been and exactly why he keeps himself at arm’s length. Just when it looks like they’ll be hanging stockings together, Cain discovers Julia’s blog—which pushes every abandonment and trust button he has. Time is running out, but Julia knows that a job and a blog are nothing compared to the forever happiness just beyond their grasp, and making it right will be the best Christmas gift ever, if she can just figure out how.
Another heartwarming seasonal Macomber tale, which fans will find as bright and cozy as a blazing fire on Christmas Eve.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-39173-2
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Michaels’s cluttered style has been noticeably trimmed this time around, which keeps the over-the-top plot moving right...
Good brother, bad brother.
It’s 1984: Rick, a wild young Hollywood star and all-around stud, is boozing heavily and secretly doing drugs—but he’s been warned. His controlling, money-mad, hyper-responsible older brother Philly isn’t going to bail him out next time, or square things with that dated entity referred to only as “the studio.” Skip to 1999: Rick’s sobered up and he’s still going strong. “He had a tinge of gray at his temples these days, but the studio expertly covered it up.” (The prolific Michaels may have been too busy churning out bestsellers to notice that studios haven’t kept actors under contract for decades, but never mind.) Rick skips the dye job, however, when Philly dies in an accident and leaves most of his estate to his ne’er-do-well brother, who gives up acting and takes over the resorts-for-the-rich that Philly was developing, though Roxy, Philly’s trashy wife, resents him for it. Ditto Reba, Roxy’s plastic surgeon daughter: Philly was like a father to her but he didn’t leave her much money. Well, what the hell, Rick wants to make everyone happy and redeem himself, so he lets Roxy take over the Crown Jewel, their flagship island resort—and he makes peace with Max and Tyler, the grown sons who never knew him (Philly paid off their mothers), then befriends tough but cute reporter Gracie Lick, and investigates the mystery of Philly’s parentage. Gee, Philly was adopted! Can it be true that Philly’s real mother, 14 when he was born, is now married to aged billionaire Armand Farquar? And did the young Lorraine rescue her newborn son from a Dumpster when her heartless lover tossed him in and then bravely give him up for adoption? She did! And is her lover, Philly’s father, now the Vice President of the United States? He is! Will reporter Gracie Lick take this unlikely story and run with it? She will!
Michaels’s cluttered style has been noticeably trimmed this time around, which keeps the over-the-top plot moving right along. For the fans.Pub Date: Dec. 30, 2003
ISBN: 0-7434-5779-X
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2003
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