|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Ellie Forman is another single mom, trying to make ends meet, getting on with her life. Of course she has problems with her ex-husband. Naturally, her job isn't exactly what she'd like it to be. Her father is an old man, getting frail. And her daughter is 12. So we know that Ellie's life is complicated enough as it is. There are plenty of novels, good novels, out there using just that information as their foundation. Libby FIscher Hellman isn't content to leave it at that. Her ex-husband calls her because he is having major money problems, and can he slide a little on the child support? Oh, by the way, the money problems stem from a joint account which should have been closed and she may be liable for half the debt, which is only a piddling half a million dollars. Ellie is a documentary filmmaker, doing a lot of work in the industrial arena. She is approached to do a campaign video for Marian Iverson, a "new Republican" running for office in the Chicago area. Ellie isn't comfortable doing "political" work, but as someone says, "Everything in Chicago is political." An old man, Ben Sinclair, dies. In his coat pocket is a piece of paper with Ellie's name and telephone number on it. She has never heard of this man, has no idea how he knows her. Her father recognizes Ben's Zippo lighter, but knows Ben by another name, Ben Skulnick. Ellie is curious. Why did Ben have her name in his pocket? Why is his landlady killed shortly after Ellie takes away some boxes of Ben's belongings? Why is Ben looking, on the internet, for a woman named Lisle Gottlieb? Why is he e-mailing the CIA? As one might imagine, all of these bits and pieces are connected to each other in some fashion. There is the obligatory love interest, who may or may not be one of the bad guys, whose motives are questionable, who is definitely sexy. There is just enough violence to make the bad guys believable without anyone getting seriously incapacitated. I enjoyed this book very much. It flowed, which is difficult to carry off when the chapters are fairly short and the scenes change frequently. Twice I was jarred out of the book. The shop-lifting stuff was off-putting, especially at first. When it is explained, it makes sense and serves a purpose, but the first time it happens, it is at oddds with the tone of the story. The second scene which made me step back from the story was the one involving masturbation. I have no objection to sex in a book, solitary sex or "conventional" sex or even unconventional sex, as long as there is a reason for it, some furtherance of the plot, a natural continuation of the story. The masturbation paragraph was not a comfortable fit for me as a reader. Some of the connections between characters or situations are obvious fairly early on, but then Ms. Hellmann gives those obvious connections just a little tweak and the meaning, the significance changes dramatically. I think the characters are believable, and they are people I'n looking forward to seeing again. I think Ms. Hellman has a very good start on a series and a career as a good mystery writer.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, November 2002
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
