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Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Adult Mystery Fiction Book Hardback | 120791000567485 | M PAR | Searching... Unknown |
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Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Once again, Parker (Suspicion of Guilt, Suspicion of Innocencewhich was a finalist for the 1995 Edgar for Best First Novel) pushes legal eagles to the edgehere, in a morality tale about the fall from grace of a man, a town and a legal system. Prosecutor Sam Hagan is known for being a straight arrow, so he's the perfect choice to investigate a potentially explosive case and dismiss it for lack of evidence. Or so think both his boss, the Miami DA, who has his eye on national office and doesn't want controversy, and the city manager, who's courting the tourist industry. The plaintiff is a young model who claims that several men, including a well-connected local businessman and a football player turned actor, raped her. Hagen believes the girl and, despite political pressure, pursues the case. The stakes are raised when several of the witnesses and participants are murdered. Meanwhile, the prosecutor's marriage is cracking under the strain of his son's recent death, a situation worsened as he learns devastating details about his son's life in the fast lane. Parker intertwines a number of stories as she spins her complicated tale of sex, power and money in South Miami. Some of the coincidences and liaisons reach soap-opera proportions, but the pace never flags from the opening to the knuckle-whitening finale. 50,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; author tour. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A high-profile rape case lands the prosecuting attorney in more trouble than the victim or the defendants ever dreamed of. Rookie model Ali Duncan, 17, sure didn't pick the right people to get assaulted by: her former lover George Fonseca, ex- footballer Marquis Lamont, and moneyed boutique owner Klaus Ruffini. Handed this hot potato by a see-no-evil Florida state's attorney, Miami prosecutor Sam Hagen presses for indictments, and in no time at all--okay, it takes practically forever--his key witness, pretty-boy model Charlie Sullivan, is murdered. Can Sam make a case with a dead witness and a victim who's only too eager to drop her complaint for a fat Ruffini settlement--and who's no poster girl anyway? It may not matter, because the next victim is George Fonseca. Sam doesn't realize (though the gentle reader will) that the murders have less to do with what happened to Ali Duncan than what happened a year ago to Sam's son Matthew, a.k.a. aspiring model Stavros, a rebellious kid who mixed liquor, drugs, and his new motorcycle into a suicidal cocktail. As Sam drifts away from his obsessively grieving wife Dina and back into the arms of his onetime lover Caitlin Dorn, a model-turned-fashion- photographer who's survived as long as she has by knowing all the wrong people, Sam's former partner in war and work, Frank Tolin, warns Sam that Caitlin knows more than she's ever admitted about Matthew's death. But does Sam listen? And will he deserve everything he gets? Parker (Suspicion of Guilt, p. 18, etc.) moves toward Dominick Dunne's soapy territory, but without Dunne's (or Parker's own previous) knack of keeping the story clear and compelling by taming subplots and keeping minor characters vivid and distinct. A painfully obvious snoozer. (First printing of 50,000; Literary Guild Selection; author tour)
Booklist Review
For readers facing the cruel snows of winter, the sunny Miami setting of Parker's latest will provide vicarious warmth, and the fast-paced action should heat up even the coldest mystery buff. Sam Hagen, who heads the Major Crimes unit of the Florida State Attorney's Office, has it bad: major stresses at work compounded by the emotional fallout from the tragic death of his son. Hagen's difficulties increase when he's assigned to defend 17-year-old model Ali Duncan, a South Beach groupie who is gang-raped by a group of drunken, drug-crazed men, who just happen to be Miami movers and shakers. Then two of the rapists turn up murdered, complicating the case further. Stylish writing, glamorous characters, a glitzy setting, and an intricately constructed plot--there's a formula for success in any genre of popular fiction. --Emily Melton
Library Journal Review
Parker shouldered her way into the legal thriller arena on the strength of her best-selling Suspicion of Innocence (LJ 12/93), which narrowly missed winning an Edgar Award. Here, a state attorney investigates the rape of a young model. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.