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Talba Wallis (by night the poet Baroness de Pontalba) is a riveting and appealing character. Black, sassy, computer genius, she works for white Eddie Valentino, lovable old grouch who does not understand Talba and who is constantly threatening to fire her, but he knows he canít get along without her. Together they form an irresistible combination. Talba has finally, after an unfortunate incident, received her PI license. Later she is in an accident and goes to her bodyworker, Babalu Maya, for succor. Babalu is in low spirits. She thinks her fiancÈ, Jason Wheelock, has been cheating on her and she wants Talba to find out If she is right. In fact, he has and Talba presents Babalu with the evidence. Shortly after Babalu is dead from an overdose of heroin in what the police call a suicide. Jason, strangely enough, insists that it was not suicide, that Talba does not do drugs, and that she would never kill herself. Talba tends to agree and takes Jason as a client. In order to learn why someone might have wanted to kill Babalu, Talba must learn about her past and she uncovers some very startling and in ways alarming things. At the same time Talba has some unfinished business of her own. Her father had left her and her mother to move in with another woman many years ago. Then he was murdered and Talba wants desperately to find out what happened. She is sidetracked, however, when she is reminded that her father had a child and that she, therefore, has a little sister. To find her sister becomes her new quest. Ms. Smith weaves these two stories into an intriguing novel. We canít help but enjoy Talba as she does outrageous things, sometimes just to goad Eddie, and we canít help but sympathize with Eddie especially when he goes after the people who have been threatening Talba. The book is peopled with other quirky, picturesque characters who are believable and realistic. Much of the story focuses on racism. Talba is black and Babalu white. In order to find out more about Babalu, Talba must go to the small Louisiana community where Babalu grew up. There she stands out like a sore thumb and people make it clear that they have no intention of talking to her or providing her with any information. They are all hiding something but she cannot find what. The black servants, however, will talk to her. Racism is alive and well in Louisiana and Ms. Smith demonstrates this without whacking us over the head with it. The story is intriguing and gripping. It was hard to guess where it might be going next, so I just leaned back and went along for the ride. And an rousing and pleasurable ride it was too.
Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, May 2002
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