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Hollywood has invaded Margaret's Harbor, and the locals are none too pleased. The movie people may be adding much-needed dollars to the island's coffers, but their drunken escapades have the residents of Oscartown wishing they and their paparazzi following would leave. The murder of a crewmember during a raging snowstorm only brings more media types to town, a fact not lost on the local authorities who'd like to close the case quickly and quietly. The police arrest one of the movie's leading ladies, but at the behest of actor Stewart Gordon, the assistant D. A. asks former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to come and review the evidence. Gregor is deep into wedding preparations. Nevertheless, Gordon convinces him that Arrow Normand is no murderer. Gregor travels to Margaret's Harbor where he quickly catches a clue overlooked by the police. Before he can act on the clue, though, another attack occurs on the island. In order to identify the killer, Gregor must sort through a web of deceit that touches almost everyone involved with the movie. This 23rd book in the Gregor Demarkian series explores Hollywood's celebrity culture and the insidious activities of the paparazzi who trail after movie makers. Readers will have little difficulty recognizing the setting as a clone of Martha’s Vineyard. Likewise, the three female protagonists are mirror images of real-life personalities. Haddam holds nothing back when it comes to criticism of the entire Hollywood scene. Her characters are as shallow as they come, and she shows this through long passages devoted to internal dialogue. While this approach has worked well in her previous books, it tends to deaden the pacing of this particular tale. Perhaps this is because TV and magazines have already shown us how superficial the LA crowd can be. We've heard it all before, and rather than hear it again, we’d like to get to the meat of the mystery. Unfortunately, Haddam gives readers only two real clues to the killer's identity, and both of them are rather obscure. But Demarkian has no trouble deciphering them and, per usual, he pulls the rabbit out of the hat at the end of the story. In this case, though, the rabbit caves in much too easily. Given the emotional coldness needed for the murder, the killer's ready confession is disappointing. Fans of Jane Haddam may disagree with me, but I wouldn’t call this her best effort.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, May 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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