WHEN NO ONE WAS LOOKING

by Rosemary Wells ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 1980

Cathy is a promising 14-year-old tennis player--her talent has recently surfaced out of nowhere--whom everyone agrees is headed for the top. Her ambitious coach, who once beat Maureen Connolly, and her single-minded parents are determined that she get there. And Cathy herself, though she shows no signs here of that requisite drive, wants the life that big-time prize money would bring her. But Ruth Gumm, a far inferior player, ""has Cathy's number""; she knows how to annoy her so that Cathy, spooked, loses to her consistently in games and practice. Then, the day before Cathy is to play her in a crucial game, Ruth drowns in a pool that has been overdosed with chlorine. Foul play is suspected, though murder was probably not intended. But the police chief, the superintendent of schools (who has encouraged Cathy to cheat on an algebra final), and all concerned are determined to cover up the possible crime and keep all distressing news from Cathy. Paralleled by her scruples about the algebra test, Cathy's determination to get to the bottom of the drowning, despite unpleasant implications, then becomes the issue of the novel. There's nothing subtle or original about any of this, and no spark to the writing. The plot is sports-story formula. However, no one would mistake it for an ordinary sports story. Wells has no interest in court action; more important, she respects her characters and takes them seriously. They aren't rounded characters in the sense that they lead one to speculate on their motivation or their behavior in other circumstances; but Wells' focus on the moral dilemma gives the characters and the story solidity without solemnity.

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1980

Categories: FICTION