Deadly Grace [Hardcover]

Taylor Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Mira (December 1, 2001) Language: English ISBN: 1551668297 Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches A former international diplomat and intelligence analyst, Smith (Guilt by Silence) uses her experience"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Structural problems and unconvincing characterizations undermine Smith's overlong thriller (after The Innocent's Club; Random Acts; etc.), despite an intriguing premise. At the core of the novel are the disjointed notebooks and musings of young Jillian Meade; the mysterious past of Jillian's mother, Grace Meade; and the investigation by veteran homicide investigator (and rookie FBI agent) Alex Cruz. Washington-based Cruz, in his capacity as a liaison to foreign investigative services, has been asked to interview Jillian, who visited two British women shortly before they were murdered. When Cruz discovers that Jillian's mother has died in a suspicious fire in Havenwood, Minn., and that Jillian has been hospitalized there, he decides an on-site visit is indicated. British-born Grace had always been reluctant to talk about her romantic and heroic past as an undercover operative in Nazi-occupied France. It was there that she met and married an American pilot, Joe Meade, who didn't survive the war, and conceived Jillian. Now, in 1979, an adult Jillian trained as a historical researcher seeks to learn more about her mother's past. Her research reveals that Grace was not the community pillar of Havenwood she seemed, and it also sets loose murderous forces beyond Jillian's control. With Jillian hospitalized and uncooperative, and Grace dead, Cruz must try to discover if Jillian is killer or victim. His investigations, interspersed with pages from Jillian's notebook, provide a complex answer. The novel's suspenseful, somewhat surprising ending is not enough to overcome the unconvincing portrait of Grace Meade that the story depends on. National advertising.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A former international diplomat and intelligence analyst, Smith (Guilt by Silence) uses her experience to good effect in her latest thriller. This intriguing novel delves into the 1979 murder of Grace Meade, who lived quietly in Havenwood, MN, but was a member of the resistance in Nazi Germany. Grace's daughter, Jillian, is seemingly the only living link between her mother's past and her life in Havenwood. FBI Special Agent Alex Cruz, who is investigating Jillian in connection with two murders in England, arrives in Havenwood to find Jillian unresponsive in a psychiatric ward. The narrative alternates between Alex's investigation and Jillian's journal of the events leading to her hospitalization. Though danger lurks and the identity of the killers is uncertain, the true suspense is wrung from Jillian's research into her mother's past and the way that Alex is being drawn into those events. Though some sections are repetitive, the pacing of both investigations effectively echoes the protagonists' own driving needs. Recommended for all public libraries. Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551668297
• ISBN-13: 978-1551668291
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,069 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars well done, December 20, 2001

By 

M. S. Butch (Katonah, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Deadly Grace (Hardcover)

good read. The plot device of switching back and forth between two narrators is sometimes jarring. But the writing is smooth, the characters mostly well sketched, and the plot carefully crafted. The WWII - Resistance plot is,of course, pretty old by now, but I still enjoy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thievery, betrayal, mass murder and old lies, January 1, 2002

By 

Carl Brookins (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Grace (Hardcover)

....

Wheels within wheels. Political intrigue in highly entertaining, convoluted fashion. This
is Taylor Smith's sixth international thriller after a career in international diplomacy. The
novel is heavy with verisimilitude and authenticity. Indeed, it is overabundant with
details, telling incidents, puzzling events, murky trails and many interesting characters.

Shortly after the end of World War Two, a beautiful, even glamorous, English war bride
named Grace Meade brings her tiny daughter to America, to the small town Minnesota
home of her husband, killed in the war in Europe. Years later, that daughter, now a
degreed historical researcher for the Smithsonian, begins to develop an exhibit on the
war. What Jillian Meade realizes is that she knows only scraps of her mother's
background and very small scraps at that. Since she must go to England to examine some
newly released intelligence papers for the exhibit, she decides to include a little personal
research. Her inquiries soon turn up the fact that Grace Meade, her mother, worked for
British Intelligence and she finds some people who knew Grace Meade during and before
the war. The problem is, the arithmetic of dates seem to be askew. Why? At this point,
Jillian's troubles begin.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S. FBI agent Alex Cruz is assigned to look into Jillian Meade's
background. The request, strangely enough, comes from Scotland Yard. When an
obviously upset Jillian returns from Europe, she goes home, home to Havenwood,
Minnesota, to see her mother, to confront her with her questions. Alex Cruz, is pursuing
Jillian Meade to ask her some questions and soon finds himself emplaning for Minnesota.
Why? Because Grace Meade is suddenly, suspiciously, dead and Jillian appears to be
involved.

The novel is filled with historical references to behind the lines resistance activity in
France. Here are instances of thievery, betrayal, mass murder and very personal,
up-close, murder. Smith is a good writer who could use some judicious editing. There
are some great conversations and some fine clichés, as well as an abundance of telling
phrases. Frequently, when Smith writes, the air moves. Nevertheless, Smith's skill as a
writer more often than not infuses scenes with immediacy and power. An excellent if
long, novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put this one down..., August 9, 2006

By 

Voracious NW Reader (Snohomish, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Grace (Mass Market Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I disagree that the portrayal of Grace wasn't believable or "real." We learn about her from second- and third-hand accounts after she's dead, and what emerges is a picture of unsuspected evil and unconscionable actions. The device of alternating chapters between two different points of view isn't new. I thought Smith did a great job with the parallel journeys of discovery, although I must confess I found Jillian's journal so compelling I was sorely tempted to skip over Cruz! The book was well written and the main characters well developed enough that I cared what happened to them.