When San Francisco detective John Marshall Tanner is hired to do a background check on a prospective surrogate mother, the job seems simple enough. There are only two stipulations - the surrogate must not know the identity of the contracting parents, and the investigation must be completed in three days. With some misgivings, Tanner checks out Greta Hammond and gives her the all clear. Two days later, the embryo of Millicent and Stuart Colbert is implanted in her womb. Two months later Greta Hammond disappears. The Colberts think she has taken the fetus to barter in an extortion attempt. But days pass and no ransom request is made, no barter suggested. It soon seems clear that Greta learned the identity of the child's parents and immediately fled. But why? The answer takes Tanner deep into the secrets of the Colbert family, whose history includes both murder and incest and a bitter struggle for control of an immense fashion empire.
False Conception (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another gem by the best hardboiled private eye novelist yet!,
By A Customer
This review is from: False Conception (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald have not only found their peer in Stephen Greenleaf, they've found their superior. As an unabashed fan of Chandler's, I must concede, however reluctantly, that Greenleaf is not merely the successor to the hardboiled detective tradition established by Chandler and the others, but the finest practitioner the field has seen yet. The John Marshall Tanner mysteries are marked by the kind of crisp, literate, and often poetic prose usually associated with "mainstream" literary works; fully-fleshed characterizations; acute observations; topical issues; and complex, plausible plots. Another stellar entry in the series, FALSE CONCEPTION finds Tanner embroiled professionally and emotionally in the lives of a wealthy couple unable to have a child except through surrogacy. When the surrogate mother he's approved for his clients disappears, and he sets out to find her, he unearths some wrenching secrets about all of them--including himself. This is the kind of great read whose overtones will resonate within you long after you've finished it
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Weak writing, OK plot,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: False Conception (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
The writing style of this book was so stilted and awkward that I almost abandoned the effort of reading it after the first chapter. As an example, here's the first sentence:"What do you know about surrogate parenthood?" he asked, his lush black brows raised in elaborate innocence, as if the question were as offhand as a query about oat bran or Coxey's Army. The plot is standard who's-the-father twisted family mystery fare, nothing original, but at least complicated enough to maintain interest. But I could have done without the overlong explanation of what surrogate parenting entails. And did I mention the bad writing? Life is too short to read mediocre books like this. I would recommend Dennis Lehane or Robert Crais instead.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting new find for me,
This review is from: False Conception (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Wow! What a great find for me! This book is exciting, fast-paced, and realistic with a P.I. I truly like. The writing is crisp....the plot believable... and the mystery unravels page by page. I would highly recommend this to all true mystery lovers.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
What do you know about surrogate motherhood? he asked, his lush black brows raised in elaborate innocence, as if the question were as offhand as a query about oat bran or Coxey's Army. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Greta Hammond, Clara Brennan, Stuart Colbert, Ethan Brennan, Luke Drummond, Rutherford Colbert, Russell Jorgensen, Cynthia Colbert, Opal Brennan, Santa Ana Way, Delilah Colbert, Millicent Colbert, Francis Wood, Betty Fontaine, Linda Webber, Fern Drummond, Kirkham Street, Charley Sleet, Marsh Tanner, San Francisco, Market Street, Nineteenth Avenue, Potrero Hill, San Bruno, Louise Frankel New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What do you know about surrogate motherhood? he asked, his lush black brows raised in elaborate innocence, as if the question were as offhand as a query about oat bran or Coxey's Army. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Greta Hammond, Clara Brennan, Stuart Colbert, Ethan Brennan, Luke Drummond, Rutherford Colbert, Russell Jorgensen, Cynthia Colbert, Opal Brennan, Santa Ana Way, Delilah Colbert, Millicent Colbert, Francis Wood, Betty Fontaine, Linda Webber, Fern Drummond, Kirkham Street, Charley Sleet, Marsh Tanner, San Francisco, Market Street, Nineteenth Avenue, Potrero Hill, San Bruno, Louise Frankel New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 13
books:
See all 13 books this book cites
- Santa Ana (An Illustrated History) by Diann Marsh on page 135, page 189, and page 201
- FLESH WOUNDS (A John Marshall Tanner mystery) by Stephen Greenleaf in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
- PAST TENSE (John Marshall Tanner Mysteries) by Stephen Greenleaf in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Death Bed by Stephen Greenleaf in Front Matter
- Grave Error by Stephen Greenleaf in Front Matter
See all 13 books this book cites
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