Clear And Convincing Proof (Barbara Holloway Novels) [Hardcover]

Kate Wilhelm (Author)

Book Description

Series: Barbara Holloway Novels | Publication Date: August 1, 2003

The Kelso/McIvey rehab center is a place of hope and healing for its patients -- and for the dedicated staff who volunteer there. For lonely newcomer Erica Castle, its' a place to make new friends. For brilliant physical therapist Darren Halvord, it's a chance to showcase his unusual gift. For beautiful Annie McIvey it's a sanctuary from a cruel husband. And for directors Naomi and Greg Boardman, it's a lifelong dram about to be destroyed if Annie's husband, David, has his way.

A brilliant surgeon, an implacable misogynist, a man whose ego rivals his skill with a scalpel, David McIvey now has controlling shares in what has always been a non profit clinic. His plan to close the clinic and replace it with a massive new surgery center -- with himself at the helm -- means that the rehab center, with all its good work and good people, will be forced to close its doors.

Since he is poised to desecrate the dreams of so many, it's not surprising to anyone, especially Barbara Holloway, that somebody dares to stop him in cold blood. When David McIvey is murdered outside the clinic's doors early one morning, Barbara once again uses her razor-sharp instincts and take-no-prisoners attitude to create a defense for the two members of the clinic accused of his murder. Though police suspect Darren Halvord and Annie McIvey of not only having an affair, but plotting to murder David, Barbra believes a more complex motive lies at the heart of the crime. In her most perplexing case yet, she is forced to explore the darkest places where people can hide -- the soul beneath the skin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Wilhelm's latest Barbara Holloway legal thriller, intrigue swirls around a rehab clinic. Erica Castle, a newcomer to Eugene, Ore., volunteers at the Kelso-McIvey Rehabilitation Center in order to make connections in the community. There she meets a network of friends and neighbors, all of whom become suspects in a murder when one of the clinic's owners, ruthless neurosurgeon David McIvey, is found shot dead after he threatens to shut down the place. The possible guilty parties are legion: McIvey's emotionally abused wife, Annie, is waiting for her pre-nup to expire so she can exit a loveless marriage with something to show; Darren Halvord, a brilliant physical therapist and handsome single father, was spotted at the scene of the crime; Naomi and Greg Boardman, founders of the clinic, have put their hearts and souls into an institution that's about to be destroyed. Enter criminal lawyer Barbara Holloway, known to Wilhelm fans for her appetite for difficult cases. Spunky, with a penchant for legal aid work and jeans and sweatshirts instead of suits and hose, she is retained by the Boardmans to disprove the police's theory: that Halvord and Annie McIvey are lovers who eliminated David McIvey so they could be together. The characters never really rise off the page, but there are engrossing plot twists aplenty, including one last humdinger in which Holloway proves she's well worth her fees.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Attorney Barbara Holloway's new case puts her in the middle of a difficult situation. The Kelso-McIvey Clinic in Eugene, Oregon, is famous for helping the seriously injured regain motor skills. The dedicated staff is upset when Dr. David McIvey inherits 50 percent of the clinic's shares and expresses a desire to close the facility and create a for-profit surgery center on the site. When a gardener finds him dead on the grounds, the police target his abused wife, Annie, and her alleged lover, physical therapist Darren Halvord, as prime suspects. The center's board hires Holloway to defend them and preserve the clinic's reputation. Her investigation uncovers much more than a possible love triangle. The cold, arrogant doctor has a greedy ex-wife, Halvord has a secret past, and a new volunteer is pursuing something other than good works and friendship. Holloway uses her sharp mind and creativity to bend a few rules and discover what really happened. Genre veteran Wilhelm presents a psychologically complex story with enough action to keep the pages turning. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mira; First edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551666979
• ISBN-13: 978-1551666976
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1928, Kate Wilhelm the author of more than thirty novels including Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang and The Unbidden Truth. Her work has been adapted for TV and film and translated into twenty languages. She has been awarded the Prix Apollo, Kurd Lasswitz, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. In 2003, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Her short fiction appeared in landmark anthologies such as Again Dangerous Visions, Orbit, The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women, and The Norton Book of Science Fiction. A cofounder of the Clarion Writers' Workhops, she continues to host monthly writing workshops in Eugene, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The doctor, the therapist, and the wife, July 4, 2005

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Clear And Convincing Proof (Mass Market Paperback)

A talented but abrasive surgeon turns up dead in the garden of a not-for-profit rehab clinic. The entire devoted staff has reason to want him out of the way. So who dunnit? According to an elderly witness, a demon in a black "carapace" with a tail!
Barbara Holloway is hired to represent the two most likely suspects, the surgeons much-abused young wife, and the brilliant and charismatic physical therapist who would lose his job if the surgeon had his way.
This well-written mystery is somewhat slow moving, but sustains interest to the end. A fun and entertaining summer read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Holloway is back, December 22, 2003

By 

"acoword" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clear And Convincing Proof (Barbara Holloway Novels) (Hardcover)

I got addicted to Kate Wilhelm's books because they're about Oregon, mostly Eugene, where I live, and her descriptions of the area are dead on. Her plots though, sometimes fall short in my opinion. Either they aren't complex enough, the characters don't really stand out, or the writing just isn't great. That said, however, I've grown quite fond of the character of Barbara Holloway. She's a tough lawyer, an interesting character, and I love her father and her business partner Shelley. So, I was thrilled when I saw Wilhelm had a new Holloway mystery out.

It didn't exactly disappoint me, but the first part was a bit slow. Wilhelm took a long time to get to Barbara Holloway. The first part focused on a character, Erica Castle, and I thought it dragged a bit. The relationships between the people at the rehab clinic where a doctor is murdered are interesting and compelling enough to drive the book forward until the really interesting parts come when Holloway starts her investigation. In traditional Wilhelm fashion, she keeps the strands loose and muddy until Holloway wraps it all up and explains everything in the end. It's a quick read. And, if you already like Barbara Holloway, you'll like her in this one too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder in a rehabilitation center., August 16, 2003

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clear And Convincing Proof (Barbara Holloway Novels) (Hardcover)

The villain in Kate Wilhelm's new psychological thriller, "Clear and Convincing Proof," is David McIvey, a brilliant surgeon who is cold and abrupt with his patients and condescending to his intimidated wife, Annie. McIvey works in a nonprofit rehabilitation center, which he hopes to convert into a for-profit surgical center. This plan has angered those who want the rehab center to continue as a place of healing, even for those who cannot afford to pay.

When McIvey's corpse is found outside the rehab center, the police suspect Annie of killing her husband in collusion with Darren Halvord, a gifted physical therapist who once dated Annie. Barbara Holloway, a criminal defense attorney, is retained to represent Annie and David. With the help of her lawyer father and a shrewd private investigator, Holloway is determined to find out who really killed McIvey.

Wilhelm's writing style is workmanlike but formulaic. David McIvey is a heavy-handed stereotype, a brute with brains who will stop at nothing to get his way. Most of the other principals are stock characters, as well. Holloway, however, is a smart investigator who has both chutzpah and imagination. She is resourceful and tenacious in getting to the bottom of this puzzling case. When Barbara and her equally engaging father take center stage, the book comes alive. Although "Clear and Convincing Proof" features an average mystery, the Holloways make it worth reading.