Fall from Grace [Hardcover]

L. R. Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

Mountie Karl Alberg was expecting a room with a view--what he got was a corpse with a story to tell. When he takes his on-again, off-again "significant other," town librarian Cassandra Mitchell, on a boat trip to a sun-drenched cove on the Pacific coast, a body turns up, and Alberg must sift through a bewildering variey of clues to solve the murder.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The tiny village of Sechelt on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast is the verdant backdrop for Wright's novels of crime and compassion featuring RCMP sergeant Karl Alberg ( A Chill Rain in January ). In this fourth tale, Alberg and his lover, Cassandra, have a short-lived romantic sailing jaunt when Cassandra spots a body falling from a cliff to the beach below. The victim, Steven Grayson, had returned to Sechelt after a decade's absence, harboring a dark secret--somehow related to Bobby Ransome's release from prison. Bobby's homecoming kindles passions in his family, his old girlfriends and their husbands. The palpable force of an unusually scorching heat wave transforms the Pacific Northwest into a Tennessee Williams setting, suitable for the adultery, wife-beating and estrangement that lead to violent emotions and murder. Wright engenders empathy for victim and killer alike. Alberg continues to be a most appealing protagonist--akin to P. D. James's Dalgleish and Ruth Rendell's Wexford, but with a quintessentially Canadian voice.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Canadian author Wright again produces the lucid, forceful prose and unique characters displayed in A Chill Rain in January ( LJ 3/1/90). Staff Sergean Karl Alsberg this time faces the interwoven frailties of several Sechelt (British Columbia) families when a taciturn photographer, lately returned home to stay with his mother, "accidentally" falls to his death from a cliff after meeting local ne'er-do-well/ex-con Bobby Ransome. Evocative imagery, often tied to nature, establishes mood throughout as Ransome moves through people's lives like a seductive undercurrent. Quality material from a talented writer.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First American Edition edition (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670831301
• ISBN-13: 978-0670831302
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,310,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars L.R. Wright's Karl Alberg Series, January 31, 2010

By 

AnnH "Random Reader" (Clarklake, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fall from Grace (Crime, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

I recommend reading the Karl Alberg stories in order. This is book #4 and, although it stands alone, you will have a greater appreciation of Wright's work if you start with "The Suspect", which is a minor classic. Unlike the previous entries in the series, this one seemed to have a murky ending, but still was a fascinating character study.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not my cup of tea., July 11, 2006

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fall from Grace (Hardcover)

RCMP sergeant Karl Alberg, out sailing with his lover, Cassandra, spot a body at the bottom of a cliff. Learning the identity of the victim, and finding his killer, requires Alberg to unravel the clues and the complex relationships of the resident in the small town of Sechelt, British Columbia.

For me, this was almost more a character study with a mystery, and Wright did a very good job with characters. They are the epitome of a small town cross-section with a balance of the likeable and unlikable. The character with the least focus was Alberg. But I did read the book for the mystery and it took a long time to get there. The story was well done, but not my preferred style. Comments on the book compare Ms. Wright to Ruth Rendell and P.D. James, neither of whom are my cup of tea. If they are yours, you may enjoy Ms. Wright.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fall from Grace, July 5, 2009

By 

Gaylo (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fall from Grace (Crime, Penguin) (Mass Market Paperback)

The cover had been cut off and instead of saying Fall from Grace it said Fall from Grac. Hard to donate that to anyone.