Customer Reviews

Clear & Convincing Proof

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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.

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.

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.

CLEAR AND CONVINCING PROOF
Kate Wilhelm

Mira Hardcover
August 2003

A Barbara Holloway Novel

Thomas Kelso and William McIvey founded the Kelso/McIvey Rehabilitation Center in Portland fifty-two years ago as a non-profit organization. Twenty-five shares each were given to the two doctors and their wives. When both of the McIvey's passed on their fifty combined shares went to their son, Dr. David McIvey, who wants to revoke the original charter and turn the center into a surgical clinic. Thomas Kelso is a very old man and he is ill; his beloved wife is in the final stages of Alzheimer's. Thomas is trying to find a way to keep David from closing down the center. David McIvey may be a brilliant surgeon but he is a horrible excuse for a human being. His young, beautiful wife, Annie, is being turned into a "Stepford Wife" and is the subject of his intense ire when she makes a mistake. Annie is a volunteer at the rehab center where everyone loves her.

The Rehabilitation Center is open to anyone that they feel they can help and has an excellent staff. Darren Halvord is a brilliant physical therapist with an outstanding record for rehabilitating his patients. Dr. Greg Boatman, the center's staff physician, is a warm, caring and totally devoted doctor. His wife, Naomi, acts as the center's director. The center depends on contributions and volunteers to keep it successful.

David McIvey is murdered, and Thomas Kelso calls in Barbara Holloway to represent the clinic. However, the prime suspects in the murder are Annie McIvey and Darren Halvord, rumored to be lovers. Barbara agrees to represent Annie and Darren, and only them, even though the clinic will be paying her fee. She believes in their innocence but only has a few days to find evidence that will keep the pair from being arrested. Of course she has some very competent people helping her, Bailey Novell, a private investigator, and her father, Frank, a retired criminal attorney.

CLEAR AND CONVINCING PROOF is a riveting story and page-turner par excellence! Kate Wilhelm always presents the essential ingredients in her books with flair - a baffling mystery, superb dialogue, outstanding secondary characters and an ending with a twist. Barbara, Frank and Bailey have become very old and dear friends to readers and it is always a special treat to become part of their team as they track down a killer. Other return characters are also a joy to visit. This is one of Ms. Wilhelm's best books to date, and that says a lot!

Betty Cox for readertoreader.com

Huh? This is supposed to be a "legal" thriller, but it has a very simple fact of law wrong, and it's the premise for the whole book. Non-profit organizations don't have "shares" owned by individuals; they belong to the public. So the ownership of this rehab clinic could not have been inherited, or bought or sold, or even disputed as described in this book, all of which is supposed to be the motive for the drama. Couldn't buy anything after that. Strange.

First book by this author that I have came across, and I am not very impressed. It takes rather a lot of pages before something happens and then it takes quite a lot of pages before something else happens, and you just keep going because you have put enough time into it already, so you might as well find out did it. One of those books where you want to skip most of it, in order to find out who the hell did it, so that you can go onto better things. And even the end is not that satisfying. I will read one more of her books just to see if it is better or not, if not I will stay away from her books.

In Oregon, the Kelso-McIvey Rehabilitation Center is known locally as the Rehab Center. The facility provides non-profit medical care for people. However, neurosurgeon David McIvey, son of one of the founders, has other plans for the place as he sees an opportunity to make money although the clinic was his mother's dream and his wife enjoys her volunteer work there. The current clinic leaders Dr. Greg Boardman and his wife Naomi oppose changing the clinic, but soon may have no say as David inches closer to taking total control.

However, someone takes exception to David's plan and kills him just outside the clinic. The police suspect that the victim's wife, in cahoots with a physical therapist working at the Rehab (who they believe is her lover) committed the homicide. Attorney Barbara Holloway thinks otherwise and plans to prove her clients are innocent.

CLEAR AND CONVINCING PROOF is an exciting legal thriller that will keep the audience guessing as the evidence affirms the police position as to who is the killer though clues are provided throughout the tale. The story line is fast-paced especially while Barbara explores alternate motive theories. Though the reason for the murder seems soft, it is reasonably established so fans receive a powerful investigative tale wrapped inside a strong legal thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Attorney Barbara Holloway is back taking on a case involving a murder at the Kelso-McIvey rehab clinic. An egotistical albeit brilliant surgeon, David McIvey, inherits controlling shares in a non-profit rehab clinic. He wants to turn it into a for-profit surgical center. Therein lies the crux of the problem, the people in charge at the rehab center are not going to let it go lightly.

One of the problems with this book is that it never engages the reader. Most characters are underdeveloped or just plain boring. The antagonist is might not be a kind and considerate person, but turning a rehab center into a surgery center does not exactly make him evil enough to be glad he was dead.

The culprit ends up to be pretty obvious despite red herring galore. The plot was really rather simplistic with a ludicrous climax involving switched raincoats, wigs, and misdirection to catch the culprit. It sort of reminded me of Mystery Writing 101. I have enjoyed other Kate Wilhem's books, this just was not one of them. It's a bad sign when you start looking for reasons to put down the book.