Gruenfeld (All Fall Down, 1994; Irreparable Harm, 1993) returns in top form, this time delivering a first-rate courtroom thriller with a twisty two-track plot that will keep most readers guessing right up through the denouements. Deputy D.A. Sal Milano, who heads L.A. County's Santa Monica office has what he believes is a slam-dunk case. A bush-league hood named Vinnie Rosamund has abducted and raped the lovely Pierman twins. When brought to book, however, the surprisingly well- connected Vinnie beats the rap on an outrageous technicality, and southern California's feral press corps effectively puts paid to Sal's hopes of running for higher office. The story goes national when one of the wronged sisters, either Diane (an aggressive defense attorney) or Lisa (a softer-edged caterer), shoots Vinnie to death in a chichi restaurant before a dozen or more witnesses. Sal (an admirer and perhaps more of Diane's) faces the unwelcome prospect of prosecuting two beautiful women whom the public believes committed a crime no worse than justifiable homicide. Duty-bound as a credibly obedient servant of the law, Sal sets the wheels of justice in motion; since neither sister will talk and no one knows who pulled the trigger, he does his best to stack the deck with conspiracy and obstruction as well as murder charges. At trial, Sal maneuvers with cunning and finesse enough to convince defense counsel (Diane's law partner) that it's time to plea bargain. The resultant deal, which helps expose corrupt judges who have rigged the outcome of several high-profile proceedings, satisfactorily seals the fate of the accused and revivifies Sal's political ambitions. A worldly-wise legal shocker. (First printing of 75,000)
Pub Date: June 24, 1996
ISBN: 0-525-94130-4
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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