The gross-funny-ugly L.A. Police Dept. jungle gym that was Wambaugh's Choirboys is just background this time—terrific background for two so-so stories: the grisly kidnapping of a dog-show champion by an off-the-wall dog trainer; the predictably offbeat hate-then-love affair between an all-at-sea detective on the way down and an all-together woman detective on the way up. The two stories will eventually mesh, but for a while they alternate with teasing efficiency—first introducing impoverished Pasadena divorcee Madeline Dills Whitfield, obsessive, love-starved owner of beloved schnauzer Victoria Regina; then the odd couple in the cop-car—sweetly spaced-out, vodka-soaked Valnikov ("the non-sequitur king of the whole goddam police department") and his appalled new partner Natalie Zimmerman; and, finally, supercreep dog-man Philo Skinner, overage stud manque, with dangerous gambling debts, a superfluous wife, and dreams of Puerto Vallarta. While Natalie desperately tries to convince the brass that Valnikov is a certifiable basket case, Philo manages to grab Vicky Regina at a dog-show and demands a ransom Madeline can't pay—which brings Sgt. Valnikov onto the case (and into Madeline's lonely bed). And by the time that Valnikov's solid, slogging detective work brings him face to face with Philo, a killer shepherd, and the mutilated schnauzer for a bloody, endless gouge-and-grapple, Natalie isn't so eager to see her "Andrushka" in a straitjacket. The Black Marble (that's what losers like Val and Philo always wind up with) should hive been better than it is: the police station running gags are too running to be real, the black-comic touches (like a pet funeral) prove again that Wambaugh ain't Waugh, and Andrushka and Natasha deserve better than a pure musical-comedy ending. But natural, strong, seductive storytellers aren't a dime a dozen, and Wambaugh's one of them—even while making a lot of mistakes as he reaches for a broader, less exclusively badges-and-guts audience.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1977
ISBN: 0440613965
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1977
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...
An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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