Overlong and overplotted, but not without its moments of high entertainment.
The tony world of high-gloss international fashion magazines is the setting for this wonderfully trashy if slogging thriller by Condé Nast UK director Coleridge (With Friends Like These, 1997, etc.).
When Saskia Thompson, editor and publisher of the hot, hip lifestyle magazine StreetSmart, is found dead in her posh New York apartment, few believe she's committed suicide. It's up to her brother, Max, an erstwhile photojournalist who scarcely knew her, to sort things out and keep the magazine afloat. Though Max would be more comfortable dodging bullets in Rwanda or Chechnya, he soon learns that the world of international publishing is not all that dissimilar. He quickly makes allies (Kitty Marr, the beautiful and sexy fashion assistant who was with Saskia the night she died; Philip Landau, Saskia's polished attorney) and enemies (the conniving deputy editor at the London office, Bob Troup, whom Max summarily dismisses; and Racinda Blick, the fashion editor who throws a hissy fit over her poor seating at the Milan show). Saskia was murdered, of course, and it could been have one of her “boy toys.” In addition to all the hunks she dated for the tabloids, such as Kiefer Sutherland and Leonardo DiCaprio, Saskia made frequent use of the escort services, not to mention her employees. Max can’t figure out if she was murdered by the mysterious, unknown father of her neglected son, Cody, or by one of her many jealous rivals who are now trying to buy StreetSmart. His chief suspect is Freddie Saidi, an oily, cruel former arms-dealer who also had a thing for the deceased. Etienne Bercuse, head of an international luxury goods empire, is another possibility. Could these competitors also be behind the attempts to sabotage StreetSmart’s latest issue, the one with the exclusive cover photo of Madonna and her new beau?
Overlong and overplotted, but not without its moments of high entertainment.Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-312-19960-0
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2000
The proliferation of older characters like Eve will be a pleasant and unexpected find for the many readers who understand...
Kubica’s psychological thriller centers on the abduction of a young teacher.
Mia Dennett comes from massive wealth, and that made her a juicy target. Chicago Police Detective Gabe Hoffman is assigned to lead the official search and finds himself increasingly attracted to Mia’s mother, a beautiful British woman in her early 60s. The story alternates between the past and present and is told through the voices of three of the participants: Mia’s mother, Eve; her abductor, Colin; and Gabe, the detective. Mia, who was freed after months of living in the Minnesota woods with her captor, has a type of amnesia that, her psychiatrist says, allows her to block out parts of what happened to her. Gabe is still trying to track down the truth about her captivity, while Eve is working to regain the daughter she believes is underneath Mia’s apparent apathy and confusion. Meanwhile, readers follow along with the abduction itself in Colin’s words and discover an odd but burgeoning bond developing between captor and captive in the harsh and unforgiving climate. Although Kubica has chosen to recount her tale in the present tense, which adds an odd stiffness to her otherwise very readable prose, she makes the characters engaging and moves the story along at a good clip. If the novel lacks credibility in any one area, it’s that the Chicago PD, one of the busiest law enforcement agencies in the world, would have the luxury of assigning one detective to a single case for months on end, even if the abductee was the daughter of an influential member of the judiciary.
The proliferation of older characters like Eve will be a pleasant and unexpected find for the many readers who understand that life over 55 can still be interesting.Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1655-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Suspenseful, glamorous story of love, blackmail, and magic, set in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., about a family of high-class magicians practicing the time-honored profession of thievery. When magician Maxmillian Nouvelle adopts the 12-year-old runaway Luke Callahan, he gives him more than a family: He teaches him the secrets of blending what's real and what's not...giving people what they want—and also taking what they value. For the Great Nouvelle is a master jewel-thief; stealing from the undeserving rich warms his blood like the anticipation of good sex, a passion that both Luke and Max's bratty daughter Raxanne eventually share. Thirteen years pass: As Luke practices the fine arts of larceny and escapology, Roxanne grows into a flame-haired witch who turns bell, book, and candle into smoke onstage. Offstage, she trades in her David Cassidy poster for Luke; together, they set off sparks that could make an innocent bystander..go up in flames. But Luke's invincibility, like the Great Houdini's, is deceptive: Slimy Sam Wyatt—a former grifter now running for the Senate—slithers in from Luke's past, his frigid heart full of contempt for the family he once tried to seam. He threatens to frame Luke for murder and expose the Nouvelles' after-hours show unless he disappears. Five years later, a homesick Luke reappears, determined to show the disillusioned Roxanne that he's more than smoke and mirrors. Together, they set out to plot vengeance, staking everything on their most daring sting to date. True to the magician's oath, Roberts reveals no secrets, but the illusion works—in a compelling and detail-rich first hardcover. Good escape reading.
Pub Date: July 17, 1992
ISBN: 0-399-13761-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1992
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