Cyanide Wells [Hardcover]

Marcia Muller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Muller, Marcia | Publication Date: August 2003

When Matthew Lindstrom's wifeGwen disappeared, his comfortable life was destroyed by suspicion and innuendo. But 14 years later, Matthew receives an anonymous phone call saying Gwen is alive-and well aware of what her disappearance has done to him. Now, Matthew is on his way to Soledad County in Northern California in search of vindication. Once he arrives, he is shocked to discover Gwen has a new name, Ardis Coleman, and is living with her lesbian lover, Carly, and their daughter,Natalie. Deciding to confront his ex-wife, Matt shows up at her home only to find a bloodstained hallway-and no sign of Ardis or Natalie. Together Carly and Matt form an unlikely alliance in their search for the missing pair. But as they dig into Ardis' life, they discover a twisted plan-one that leads to a final confrontation that may prove fatal to all of them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anthony-winner Muller delivers another stand-alone (after 2001's Point Deception) set in northern California's fictional Soledad County that fails to measure up to her bestselling Sharon McCone series (Dead Midnight, etc.). After being unjustly suspected of murdering his missing ex-wife, Gwen, Matthew Lindstrom moved from Minnesota, where he taught college photography, to British Columbia, where he operates an excursion boat. When 14 years later an anonymous phone caller tells him Gwen is living in Cyanide Wells, Calif., as Ardis Coleman, Matt goes there to find her and clear his name. Hired by the local newspaper, which has won a Pulitzer for a series on the murder of a gay couple penned by the erratic Ardis, Matt discovers that his ex-wife is in a lesbian relationship with hot-headed newspaper editor Carly McGuire, with whom she shares a mixed-race daughter. When Ardis and the child vanish, Matt and Carly join forces to track them down. While Muller vividly paints the rugged northern California coast with its decaying towns and abandoned logging and mining areas now giving way to retirement communities, she leaves out her usual complicated characters and plot twists. Matt too easily gets the newspaper job, elicits confidences and uncovers secrets. The villains are pretty obvious, as is the secret behind the gay murders. Muller fans may prefer to wait for another McCone novel.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A stand-alone story from the author of the Sharon McCone series. Matt Lindstrom leaves the life he has rebuilt in British Columbia to search for his ex-wife, Gwen. After she vanished from their California home, innuendo that he had murdered her ruined him, forcing his relocation. He discovers that she's in a Soledad County town called Cyanide Wells, living with a lesbian lover and an adopted child. When he goes there--For revenge? for solace?--he discovers she has taken off again, this time with the child. He and Carly McGuire, publisher of the county newspaper and Gwen's partner, perform an uneasy dance as they try to bring her back. Gwen has written a Pulitzer Prize-winning story about the local murder of a gay couple, and in tracing the clues from it, from a passel of local secrets, and from Gwen's complicated emotional life, Matt and Carly uncover the depths of Gwen's duplicity to both of them. The relationship between these two prickly characters, male and female, straight and gay, is the most intriguing aspect of this somewhat overplotted but entertaining whodunit. There's also a genuinely cool use of the Web site, Librarians Index to the Internet (http://lii.org). GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; First Edition edition (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892967811
• ISBN-13: 978-0892967810
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,497,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARCIA MULLER has written many novels and short stories. Her novel "Wolf in the Shadows" won the Anthony Boucher Award. The recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award - their highest accolade - she lives in northern California with her husband, mystery writer Bill Pronzini.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Love Sharon McCone, Hated This Book, September 5, 2003

By 

Miss Terry Reader (Westport, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cyanide Wells (Hardcover)

This book was really weak. The concept of the plot sounded good at the start --- lost woman reappears after 14 years, why did she run, what ghosts haunted her -- but the book never goes anywhere. Even more frustrating, all sorts of things never are resolved, including insights into Gwen and why she ran, what was her problem or what were her ghosts, what was the motivation for the call to Lindstrom (this was partially explained, although it was always left as a dangling assumption). The principal characters were likable enough, but that alone couldn't carry the plot. Very very disappointing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Maybe I read a different book, September 4, 2003

By 

chattyc69 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cyanide Wells (Hardcover)

because I thought this book was weak and not up to Marcia Mullers normal standard of writing. The character development was extremely poor, we never really know what motivated the killer. The italics printing of the characters thoughts was weak and would have been unnecessary if the character development was better. It was an interesting basis for a plot it just never developed. If you must read it, wait until paperback.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turning, August 1, 2003

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cyanide Wells (Hardcover)

In a departure from her Sharon McCone series, Marcia Muller takes us on a journey into fictional Soledad Country. Matt Linstrom, a college instructor and part-time photographer, was leading a pretty idyllic life or he thought. One day his wife announces she wants a divorce and the next day she is gone without a trace. He is implicated in her disappearance. After being alienated from family and friends, losing his business, his job, and most of his possessions, he starts a new life in a new place. After fourteen years, he gets a call telling where his ex-wife is. Matt starts a journey to Soldad County and to self-discovery. A gripping mystery ensues in Soledad County. I don't want to give anything away, so I will leave it at that.

One of the strengths of CYANIDE WELLS is that Muller swaps viewpoints of two characters. At first, neither seemed to be a totally sympathetic character, but after allowing us into their thoughts, we get to know them and sympathize with their plights. I liked the more rural, isolated setting of the story. It lent a lot of atmosphere to the story. If I had any quibble about the book is that the ending was a little too evident, but the page-turning aspect to the story countered any problems I had with the ending.

Marcia Muller can always be counted on for a well-plotted story with compelling characters. I appreciate the need for series authors to take a break and write an occasional stand-alone book. CYNIIDE WELLS is a nice effort from Marcia Muller.