A Case of Loyalties [Hardcover]

Marilyn Wallace (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carrie Rayborn is a transplanted New Yorker, trying to start a new life as a painter in San Francisco's Bay Area with her 17-year-old daughter Tricia. She soon learns it isn't easy being both a freelance artist and a single mother, but trouble really starts when Tricia is arrested for car theft and accused of shooting a young man named Clifford Hawkins. Although Tricia admits she was high on marijuana and was in the car Hawkins was shot from, she denies murdering him. The authorities are skeptical, and it is left for police detectives Goldstein and Cruz to sort out the puzzle. Hawkins, they discover, was not only a sadistic bully and rapist, but was also part of a crypto-military group named Oneida, bent on terrorist acts. It looks as if Hawkins may have been assassinated by his fellow members, but there are a few surprises in store for the detectives. This first novel is notable for the warmth and sensitivity it displays toward its characters, placing it above the average. December 31
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312123329
• ISBN-13: 978-0312123321
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,276,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fractured, flat mystery set in Oakland, February 13, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Case of Loyalties (Hardcover)

It was just a joy ride. But when the car teenager Tricia "borrowed" is identified in a drive by shooting, all the evidence points to her despite her denials. Her mother and inspector Goldstein believe her and investigate further into the victim's strange boarding house and habits. Goldstein's partner keeps focusing on Tricia. The victim is universally hated in the neighborhood but alternatives to Tricia are hard to find.

I read this book primarily because 1) it won a MacCavity for best first novel in 1987 (in a tie with Faye Kellerman - who has gone on to fame and fortune)and 2) it's set in Oakland, my hometown. I find the award perplexing as this simply isn't all that great a book. The author can't seem to settle on a protagonist and 180 pages is too little time for any of the characters to emerge as interesting or sympathetic. Overall, the story is flat and fractured. Likewise, it lacks humor and warmth. The Oakland angle is also disappointing. She barely works it as a setting and what she does use is strictly guidebook level. Janet Dawson's series is much more interesting if you happen to be interested in Oakland (don't laugh).

Bottom line -- doubt I'll be reading the remaining two books in this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a terrific read, December 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Case of Loyalties (Hardcover)

The mystery is engaging, but I really liked the characters. The two detectives are interesting duo, and the mother and her teen-age daughter rang so true! Interesting way to tell a story, too. I really enjoyed this book