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LAST LULLABY
by Denise Hamilton
Scribner, April 2004
368 pages
$25.00
ISBN: 0743245407


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Eve Diamond, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, is visiting Los Angeles International Airport to observe immigration and customs procedures in the aftermath of 9/11. As she watches, first two Slavic men walk past and then an Asian family complete with a toddler, She wonders to herself if customs will stop them. Instead gunfire breaks out and when it is over the two Slavic men are dead as is the Asian woman, the Asian man flees, and the toddler is left behind, alone. Eve is very concerned about the child and makes her the focus of her story.

William Maxwell, the supervisor who has shown her around LAX, provides her with some information, but INS have the child in custody and the word is that they are going to send her back to Cambodia as soon as they identify relatives. But the child, apparently, had been a mule and a prop to prevent customs officials from searching the man and woman. This is her fifth trip into the United States, no one seems to know who her parents really were, and she is ill and very possibly in danger.

Hamilton has created a memorable character in Eve Diamond. She is brave and almost pushy in her attempts to get a story, but she also worries about getting too involved and becoming part of the story herself. She takes risks, perhaps too freely, and several times puts herself in danger in order to discover information. Yet she is also afraid and hesitant after she has been threatened. She is very believable with flaws and virtues. She befriends a young boy who is obsessed with computer games and he is a poignant character as well. His mother works to provide minimum support and he can't afford to pay his computer bill yet he is compulsive about continuing to play.

A boyfriend from the past shows up, one with whom she was once in love. There is also Silvio, a current lover. Finally there is a lawyer who has made a lifetime career out of challenging the INS and helping immigrants with their rights. He is an almost larger than life and truly flawed man and an extremely intriguing person.

The book is set in Los Angeles which the author knows very well. This is the LA of the newly arrived, the Latinos and Asians who come to the United States looking for freedom or for a living wage, crowd into houses too small for them, are perhaps here illegally, and yet work hard and keep their homes as clean as possible out of pride. Swimming among these innocent and sometimes naive people are the sharks who prey on the immigrants, threaten them, and force them into dangerous situations.

The plot is complex and Eve is truly challenged to discover not only where the child is hidden, but also who is finally behind the threatening of the child. We follow her and enjoy the experience although it is a dangerous and unpleasant route for Eve to follow.

There are always things to be learned form Hamilton's books. In this one we learn about immigrants and smuggling and also the strong emotions a child can evoke, especially in those people unable to have children of their own. They will do incredible things to get a child. This is an enjoyable book, one that is well-written and flows along.

Reviewed by Sally Fellows, May 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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