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OUT ON A LIMB
by Joan Hess
St. Martin's, November 2002
306 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0312266804


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

It had been several years since I tried one of Joan Hess' Claire Malloy books. The daughter, Caron, annoyed me so much that I decided this was a series to avoid. Caron is now 16 and is MUCH less annoying than she was in that earlier book.

Retired High School teacher, Miss Emily Parchester, is up a tree. She has become the symbol of the Farberville, Arkansas Green Party, a group trying to prevent a stand of trees, in the way of a scheduled housing development, from being cut down. Miss Parchester has been chained to the tree and has said she will stay in the tree until the small grove is saved.

When Claire returns home, Caron and her friend Inez have a surprise. A baby has been left on Claire Malloy's doorstep. There's a note left saying the baby's name is Skyler and would Claire please take care of it for a couple of days. About a month before, Claire had helped deliver a baby in the parking lot of a local Wal-Mart. Skyler appears to be that baby. He is clean and well cared for. There are a few diapers and some formula in the bag, but nothing else. In a small town, it will be difficult to explain the new arrival.

CLaire thinks she catches a glimpse of the child's mother in the crowd around Miss Parchester's tree but can't be sure. The next time she sees the young woman, she is being taken into custody for killing her father, the developer whose encroachment into the town's green space Emily is protesting.

Hess portrays her characters with wit and affection. Small town life is deftly portrayed, in this, the 14th book in the Claire Malloy series. A new paperback edition of the 5th book in the series, ROLL OVER AND PLAY DEAD, is due out in May.

Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, April 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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