No, this isn't another Anatomy of a Murder: the psychology and law are a bit too undigested here, the central mystery is a little too easy to guess, and much of the stagy, folksy dialogue is awfully dated. But Traver remains a master of low-key courtroom drama, and most of this unpretentious murder-trial novel is genially readable. The narrator is trout-fishing Michigan lawyer Frederick Ludlow, who's been hired to defend young Randall Kirk—accused of murdering (by drowning) lovely Mrs. Constance Spurrier, with whom he was having a longtime affair. The problem, however, is that sullen Randy claims to have no memory of the time surrounding the murder! Furthermore, he seems to forget even more while in jail. So Ludlow, with help from retired Dr. Hugh Salter, wants to get court permission to use hypnotism to recall Randy's memory: there's a pre-trial hearing on the subject, a mini-history of hypnotism, and a Ludlow victory. But Randy seems oddly resistant to hypnosis—and Dr. Hugh gently persists while the trial begins, with heaps of evidence against the defendant. Meanwhile, the issue focus moves to the question of "impaired consciousness" as a defense to a crime (was Randy sleepwalking or something when—if—he did it?); and though this isn't quite as interesting as the "irresistible impulse" question in Anatomy of a Murder, Traver pursues the legal precedents at length. And finally, the doc's hypnosis having succeeded at last, Randy remembers all and takes the stand, detailing how he was in fact programmed into killing his beloved Constance—by the most likely suspect. This windup twist is far from new to mystery fiction (it goes at least as far back as Wilkie Collins), but Traver documents it more seriously and authentically than most. And for those who don't mind the creakiness here—likable Ludlow's wheezy humor, the chunks of technical exposition, or some truly unreal conversational outbursts from 28-year-old Randy ("How can mere clumsy words ever tell the state of enchantment, of suspended ecstasy and bliss, that came over me when we two were together")—this is a nice old-fashioned read, with special appeal to hypnotism buffs and armchair lawyers.
Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1981
ISBN: 0312600062
Page Count: 298
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1981
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles...
Sisters in and out of love.
Meghann Dontess is a high-powered matrimonial lawyer in Seattle who prefers sex with strangers to emotional intimacy: a strategy bound to backfire sooner or later, warns her tough-talking shrink. It’s advice Meghann decides to ignore, along with the memories of her difficult childhood, neglectful mother, and younger sister. Though she managed to reunite Claire with Sam Cavenaugh (her father but not Meghann’s) when her mother abandoned both girls long ago, Meghann still feels guilty that her sister’s life doesn’t measure up, at least on her terms. Never married, Claire ekes out a living running a country campground with her dad and is raising her six-year-old daughter on her own. When she falls in love for the first time with an up-and-coming country musician, Meghann is appalled: Bobby Austin is a three-time loser at marriage—how on earth can Claire be so blind? Bobby’s blunt explanation doesn’t exactly satisfy the concerned big sister, who busies herself planning Claire’s dream wedding anyway. And, to relieve the stress, she beds various guys she picks up in bars, including Dr. Joe Wyatt, a neurosurgeon turned homeless drifter after the demise of his beloved wife Diane (whom he euthanized). When Claire’s awful headache turns out to be a kind of brain tumor known among neurologists as a “terminator,” Joe rallies. Turns out that Claire had befriended his wife on her deathbed, and now in turn he must try to save her. Is it too late? Will Meghann find true love at last?
Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles (Distant Shores, 2002, etc.). Kudos for skipping the snifflefest this time around.Pub Date: May 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-345-45073-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2003
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