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Houston friends and neighbors Emma Diamond, Marylou Lockridge, and Sophie Parker are all avid bridge players. Marylou introduces to the group her childhood friend, Paula Trowbridge, who is married to bridge master Avery Trowbridge, and who is a woman of almost stunning self- involvement (something she denies). Paula persuades the others to accompany her to a bridge retreat in the Texas Hill Country, assuring the others that Avery will not be there, but her first husband, Basil Dumont, whom she plans to remarry, will be teaching classes in bridge. The first fly in the ointment is that Avery turns up at the retreat and begins a sparring match with Basil, his rival for preeminence in the bridge world. At stake is a nationally syndicated bridge column that Avery is set to write, to Basil's chagrin. The next fly is Emma's discovery of Avery's body with a knife stuck in his chest. Emma feels obliged to help the police in their search for the murderer, and, unlike the adversarial relationship between police and amateur detectives in many mysteries, the police welcome Emma's assistance. Hartman has created two interesting groups of female characters. On the one side are Emma and Marylou, both retired teachers, and well-off financially, with Marylou the mother figure in the group. A third is Sophie, a woman with a model's good looks, who is always after the frugal Emma to spend more money on clothes. The other group consists of the narcissistic Paula; the viperous hotel manager, Veronica Hinkelmeier; and Avery's first wife, the lethal Lillian. Emma and her friends don't lack for suspects. In addition to the women, all of whom have connections with Avery or Basil, there are several men -- Basil, of course; Will, Avery's affable son; and Haskell Crenshaw, Avery's agent whom he fires and hires regularly. The characters are vivid, each with her or his own distinctive voice. Hartman takes a gleeful delight in drawing the villainous characters. The plot moves briskly, with some interludes of bridge playing, but not any that would interfere with the enjoyment of readers who aren't bridge players. If you're looking for an entree into the world of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, both dedicated bridge lovers, this book would be a good place to start.
Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Devine, June 2008
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