From Publishers Weekly
Agatha, Macavity and American Mystery Award winner Hess sends her bookseller sleuth Claire Malloy (seen last in Busy Bodies) far from her small Arkansas town of Farberville in this tightly woven tale. Out of the blue, Claire receives a call from a cousin whom she understood to have died 30 years earlier. Veronica Landonwood, who at age 17 was jailed for murdering an American movie producer in Mexico, has since made a new life for herself as a medical researcher. But now, she says, someone is threatening to reveal her past if she doesn't hand over $1 million and she insists that Claire, whose detecting exploits she has secretly followed, is the only one who can save her. Claire takes her teenage daughter, Caron, to Acapulco to find out who among those involved in the murder and subsequent trial is still living and might be blackmailing her cousin. When their hotel keeper is murdered and Caron is abducted for ransom, Claire is thrown in with a Mexican family of dubious means. She sets out on a path, marked by seven bodies and nearly as many mistaken identities, that takes her to Arizona and Illinois before leading her and Caron safely back in Farberville. Hess knots deceit upon deceit into this suspenseful story, whose tone is lightened by Claire's quick wit and warm heart. Mystery Guild selection. (May) ~ FYI: Hess also writes the Maggody mystery series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA-A phone call from her supposedly dead cousin, Veronica, sends Claire Malloy to Mexico seeking new answers to a 30-year old murder. Veronica enlists Claire's sleuthing skills to find out the identity of a blackmailer who is trying to ruin her career as a research scientist and the truth about the murder. It takes a kidnapping, a wild car chase, and several deaths before Claire pieces together the puzzle and comes up with some bizarre answers. Hess weaves the complex and well-organized plot tightly together using Claire's snappy remarks and continuous dialogue as the basic foundation for communicating events. Numerous details and several red herrings add interest and build anticipation right up to the end. Featuring a unique brand of humor and a fast-paced plot with plenty of adventurous diversions, this entertaining series entry, with its surprise ending, will appeal to teen audiences.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
