Desperate Measures [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Kate Wilhelm (Author), Marguerite Gavin (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

Barbara Holloway has a reputation for taking on the toughest cases in the Pacific Northwest... and winning them. But this time it looks as though she's up against an unbeatable opponent.

The trial involves the murder of Gus Marchand, a hard-working, God-fearing man who was found dead on his kitchen floor. Without any real evidence linking him to the crime, the locals cast their suspicions towards Alex Feldman, Marchand's hideously deformed neighbor. At the request of a fellow attorney, Barbara agrees to defend him.

But another suspect is the high school principal, Hilde Franz, who'd had a contretemps with the dead man earlier that week. He had threatened to have her investigated and Hilde was seen near Marchand's property around the time of his death, giving police both a motive and an opportunity for murder. Hilde also happens to be an old friend of Barbara's father, Frank, so naturally, he's going to defend her.

Will Barbara have to square off against the man who taught her all she knows?

Desperate Measures is vintage Kate Wilhelm... which is to say, it's a page-turning delight.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Oregon lawyer Barbara Holloway and her father, Frank, formerly her partner, find themselves on opposite sides in the murder of Gus Marchand, a case with two suspects. Kate Wilhelm gives this smoothly told version of "Beauty and the Beast" an interesting added dimension, since the relationship between the two equally hardheaded and talented lawyers has usually been collaborative, at least professionally. But when the school principal, who's Frank's client, dies under mysterious circumstances, Frank's determined not to let Barbara pin the blame on the dead woman in order to deflect attention from her own as-yet-unidentified client. By the time Frank learns that the defendant in question is Alex Feldman, a horribly disfigured and immensely secretive young man who was accused by Marchand of stalking his teenage daughter, the reader has begun to understand why Barbara is so convinced of Alex's innocence in Gus's death and so determined to protect him from public scrutiny.

Alex is a man with a secret: was Frank's late client (and friend) killed to protect it? As usual, Wilhelm devises a clever plot and peoples it with a cast of well-developed, fully human and complex characters. There's Alex himself, who's found a way to cope with the circumstances of his disfigurement and the rage and bitterness that might otherwise have consumed him; Graham Minick, the elderly doctor who has been his friend and confidante since he was a teenager; and Shelley, Barbara's beautiful young associate, who sees beyond Alex's ugliness and into his heart. By the time the trial of the man they call "the devil's spawn" begins, Frank and Barbara are on the same side, but it's the younger Holloway's star turn in the courtroom, which is where the novel really shines. A solid page turner that should delight the prolific Wilhelm's (No Defense, Defense for the Devil) many fans. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Wilhelm's sixth Barbara Holloway legal thriller (after No Defense and Defense for the Devil) sustains her reputation as a fine stylist who is able to craft compelling plots and characters. Holloway's latest client is a brilliant young man named Alex Feldman, who has been left hideously deformed by a birth defect. He is accused of killing his next-door neighbor, Gus Marchand, a tyrannical religious zealot who saw Alex's deformity as the mark of the devil. There is little evidence against him, but Marchand has created such hostility and fear toward Alex in their small, rural community that it seems likely he will be convicted on the basis of his appearance alone. What makes his situation even more desperate is that he was born with part of his brain exposed: since any blow to the head might kill him, a prison term probably would be a death sentence. But did Alex do it? There is a real possibility (which Alex himself admits) that he is psychopathic, but he wasn't the only one with a motive: the high school principal was also at odds with Marchand, and she is a close friend of Frank Holloway, Barbara's father and mentor. This is a real puzzler in which the smallest clues are important. Readers are given all the necessary facts and Alex is an excellent character. Wilhelm does a good job of conveying his anguish and isolation, and doesn't skimp on rounding out other characters, including Dr. Graham Minick, Alex's friend and protector. The book begins and ends well, although it often fails to sustain velocity in between. Wilhelm's fans probably won't be disappointed, as its many good points outnumber the bad.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786121610
• ISBN-13: 978-0786121618
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,654,867 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging protagonist updates Beauty and the Beast, February 4, 2002

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Desperate Measures (Barbara Holloway Novels) (Hardcover)

Oregon defense attorney Barbara Holloway finds herself at odds with her mentor father, Frank, when the murder of a mean-spirited religious zealot and family despot lands each with a client. Frank's client, the high school principal and an old friend, has a married lover and Gus Marchand, the murdered man, had threatened to expose her. But Barbara's client, young Alex Feldman, despite scant evidence, is the prime suspect.

Born with a hideous facial deformity, he was denounced by Marchand, his neighbor, as the devil's spawn and a sexual predator. Alex's adolescent history of violent outbursts doesn't help. The son of shallow, beautiful people whose idea of sympathy was to hide him in his room, Alex is rescued after a teenage suicide attempt by Dr. Graham Minick, who takes him to live in rural Oregon. Now, 14 years later, (still with Minick) Alex is the successful author/artist of a pseudonymous satirical cartoon strip, a career which would be threatened if his identity was revealed.

Wilhelm frames a thoughtful, moderately suspenseful story of detection and legal maneuvering around a core of repression in the name of religion, bigotry, and instinctual aversion. Born with, basically, half a face, Alex inspires visceral hostility in everyone who sets eyes on him, a reaction Barbara, along with her co-workers and father, must overcome. With time and familiarity, the man emerges from behind the deformity. A sensitive "Beauty and the Beast" story, exploring the roots of violence in alienation and one man's lucky escape from a blighted life, Wilhelm's novel strikes a resonant chord. A credible plot, a smart, engaging protagonist and well-rounded secondary characters in this sixth Holloway novel add up to another success for the award-winning Wilhelm, author of the science fiction classic, "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" and "The Good Children."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of fear and prejudice..., July 21, 2001

By 

L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Desperate Measures (Barbara Holloway Novels) (Hardcover)

is crafted by Kate Wilhelm in the 6th legal thriller in this series.

Alex Feldman, victim of an unfortunate birth, still manages to live a rich and full life with the help of his doctor-mentor, Graham Minick. There is no question in the reader's mind that Alex did not murder his neighbor, Gus Marchand, a man who hides his bigotry and small-mindedness behind the cloak of his religion. Because of Alex's strange appearance and history, however, the law enforcement agency and the townspeople of Opal Creek, Oregon persecute and prosecute him for the crime.

Barbara Holloway and her father Frank find themselves in an adversarial position on the crime. Barbara's secret client is Alex, and Frank is trying to protect an old friend, who is subsequently murdered in the second of two mysteries, from being accused of the crime.

The events and conflict leading up to the courtroom confrontation are merely a canvas for the excellent and crisp writing that Wilhelm uses to portray the courtroom battle. Before it is over, Kate and Frank have joined forces, and the ending is much more satisfactory than a not guilty verdict would have been.

Wilhelm commands and holds your interest, without gratuitous sex or violence in her novels. Her main character, Barbara Holloway, is a gutsy, intelligent, and articulate attorney. Wilhelm never fails to surround her with an equally interesting cast.

Desperate Measures is an excellent read that keeps you guessing and successfully weaves a double mystery plot. Enjoy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tense Courtroom Drama, September 6, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desperate Measures (Barbara Holloway Novels) (Hardcover)

Oregon Criminal defense attorney, Barbara Holloway, always likes the challenge of a tough case, but this time she's definitely in for the fight of her life. It seems Gus Marchand, an overbearing and tyrannical religious zealot was found dead in his kitchen, slammed in the head with a hammer. All suspicion falls on Alex Feldman, a horribly disfigured recluse and neighbor of the victim whom Marchand had tormented for years, calling him the devil freak or devil spawn. The evidence, what little there is, is all circumstantial. But because of bigotry and fear in this rural community, Alex, an easy target, is arrested and charged with the murder. Now it's up to Barbara, her father and mentor, Frank, and the rest of her defense team to find the truth and set Alex free..... Kate Wilhelm has written a tight, compelling legal thriller full of twists, turns and surprises that will keep readers turning pages to the end. Her crisp, tense writing is suspenseful with vivid and riveting scenes and her characters are well drawn "real" people. Ms Wilhelm's indepth knowledge of the workings of the law and legal procedures adds real credibility to the story and her courtroom scenes really come alive on the page. Add to that clever secondary plot lines to flesh out and enhance the story, a stunning climax and very satisifying ending that ties up all the loose ends, and you have the makings of a thriller that shouldn't be miss. Desperate Measures is a winner!