Hancock Park (Kate Delafield Mystery) [Paperback]

Katherine V. Forrest (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kate Delafield Mystery

Los Angeles detectives Kate Delafield and Joe Cameron have been assigned to investigate a homicide in the upscale neighborhood of Hancock Park. Suspected of murdering his ex-wife is Douglas Talbot-whose own children are more than willing to see him on death row.

And while Kate is trying to prove his innocence, her personal life gets complicated when her lover Aimee mysteriously disappears.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Forrest's not quite noir, somewhat flat legal drama, the fifth in her Kate Delafield series (Amateur City, etc.), the seasoned LAPD detective investigates a murder in the affluent low-crime enclave of Hancock Park. Dysfunctional family values are scrutinized in the press and in a heated courtroom scrimmage, where the slip of a word or facial tic can arm a clever defense attorney. When the corpse of middle-aged matron Victoria Talbot turns up in her stately, suspiciously spick-and-span home, most of the evidence points to her unrepentant and loathsome ex-husband, entrepreneur Douglas Talbot. Kate and faithful partner Detective Joe Cameron structure the developing leads into a damning picture of guilt. The coldly competent deputy DA presents the circumstantial case against Talbot, whose harassment of his ex-wife long after the divorce speaks volumes. But a last-minute bombshell à la Perry Mason adds an unexpected twist. The author's realistic rendering of courtroom hijinks and her sympathetic, ultra-professional, strong yet vulnerable protagonist help salvage a less than exciting story line. Some of the more intriguing characters get short shrift, leeching color from the whole, but loyal fans won't be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

What are we to make of the new, kinder-and-gentler Detective Kate Delafield? She doesn't care that an important case ends in a hung jury, with no retrial in sight. She willingly expends her talents on tracking down a runaway niece she has never met. She even comes close to soul-sharing with a peer. Granted, it took her longtime lover, Aimee, walking out on her, but what with all the thoughtful rue and contemplation, fans may think they've wandered onto Graham Greene turf. Forrest alternates courtroom scenes and her closeted-lesbian sleuth's first-person flashbacks, but the action eventually moves into present tense during the investigation of a killing in the Hollywood neighborhood of the title. In what is perhaps a transitional book, Forrest seems to be moving into reflective, almost spiritual territory and concentrating more on inner musings than on murder-mystery action. Fans of the series might feel a tad let down. Well, stay tuned for the next. Who knows what kind of transformation the hardbitten, hard-drinking Delafield might make? Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042520247X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425202470
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem for Kate Delafield fans, April 30, 2004

By 

Alma "bbkphile" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hancock Park (Kate Delafield Mysteries) (Hardcover)

What makes reading the book rewarding for me is the controlled, spare, concise prose that in its stark simplicity conveys the dynamics between two people -specifically, between two women - in a long-term relationship with depth and feeling. Unfortunately Ms. Forrest's calibre of writing is painfully absent from the majority of amateurish works flooding the market. Authors I would recommend as exceptional, especially if you're interested chiefly in reading work written about women by women include Laurie R. King (Martinelli series), Ellen Hart, Sandra Scoppettone, Nicola Griffith, and Jenifer Levin.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy lesbian detective story, September 28, 2004

By 

fgc (CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hancock Park (Kate Delafield Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This story marks a shift for Katherine V. Forrest's fine detective series featuring Kate Delafield. One thing I love about these books is that Kate actually grows older and goes through the emotional and psychological shifts people experience as they mature. In this story Kate is investigating the killing of Victoria Talbot whose ex-husband has GUILTY written all over him. But the case is not as simple as it appears. At the same time, Kate is going through a personal crisis that results in self-examination. Ms. Forrest does not depend on melodramatic language and over-stated character interactions to make her point. Readers who have gotten used to this from reading the works of less skillful writers might find her style fairly spare. I wasn't sure whether to give this 4 or 5 stars, because I like some of the earlier Dalafield novels better. But this one is every bit as good, it's just different. You might not like it if you want a lot of action and less thoughtfulness, but Hancock Park is well worth reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A New Delafield, July 3, 2005

By 

P. Bigelow (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hancock Park (Kate Delafield Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Katherine Forrest has been writing the Kate Delafield mysteries for a couple of decades. For a while, they had become formulaic, but with Hancock Park, she has become a mystery writer worthy of the name. She's no P.D. James or Laurie R. King, but she has written a fine mystery with a surprise ending. Unlike some other writers, she shared all the clues with the reader, and still came up with an unexpected ending.

In addition to a terrific mystery, it is also a very good character study. Detective Delafield has matured over the years, and in this outing her partner walks out and forces Delafield to face up to her own shortcomings.