Hard Bargain (Cat Marsala) [Paperback]

Barbara D'Amato (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cat Marsala | Publication Date: May 1, 1999

When a domestic violence call turns into a murder, Cat Marsala finds herself faced with her toughest case yet, one that could put a friend's job -- and life -- on the line...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Barbara D'Amato's books about freelance Chicago journalist Cat Marsala celebrate the quaint idea that what somebody writes in a newspaper or a magazine can have some effect, can make a difference, can even tip the scales of justice from time to time. We all know how ludicrous this idea is, but while we're reading D'Amato's latest, which finds the feisty Cat involved in linked cases of spousal abuse and high-level police department dirty pool, all doubts are happily suspended. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

A domestic violence call that leaves an abusive husband, an off-duty Chicago police officer, shot dead by his wife's sister, a uniformed cop who responded to the call, turns even uglier when some telltale discrepancies (just how far from Ben Jurack was she standing when she shot him? exactly when did four-year-old Belinda come into the room to see her father getting killed? and how did Jurack get that bruise on his head?) make Officer Shelly Daniello's story look suspicious. But the story wouldn't have hooked investigative reporter Cat Marsala (Hard Christmas, 1995, etc.) if it hadn't been used to smear Cat's old friend-- Daniello's boss, chief of detectives Harold McCoo--a fact that raises even more urgent questions. Which of the four deputy police superintendents competing with McCoo for the chance to step into the despised superintendent's shoes after a mayoral election would've planted such a damaging story about one of his rivals? And which of McCoo's trusted office staff passed to the unscrupulous rival the in-house reports that turned up in the papers? Cat's way of gathering information is to interview each of the four candidates for a series of profiles in Chicago Today, but before she can get past their secretaries the case is blown wide open by a letter bomb. Cat's seventh features enough problems for a month of Mondays--but D'Amato's expert dovetailing and eye for human drama make it a lot more exciting. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425168980
• ISBN-13: 978-0425168981
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,412,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Tight and Tidy, February 12, 2008

By 

M, Compulsive Reader (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Bargain (Cat Marsala) (Paperback)

Free-lance Cat Marsala reporter investigates two interlocking puzzles -- what actually happened when a policewoman shot to death her wife-abusing policeman brother-in-law, and which of her friend Chief-of-Police Detectives McCoo's staff or supervisors is leaking highly-charged information to the press, to his detriment. Loyalty, and professional integrity are the underlying emotions. Chicago, the city itself, its politics, and its weather feature strongly. A frightening climax comes of clues not only mentioned but referred to several times. An excellent entry in Barbara D'Amato's fine series.

3.0 out of 5 stars where's the beef?, September 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hard Bargain (Hardcover)

This is my first D'Amatao novel and I had to force myself to finsih it. There wasn't enough suspense, there wasn't enough real investment for the protagonist, for me to be all that concerned about the plot. But it seems that the author has great potential and look forward to reading one of her many other works.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic author who writes a great mystery series, July 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hard Bargain (Hardcover)

Chicago police officer Shelley Daniello and her partner Bradford Hubner respond to a domestic violence call. Shelley gets to the scene ahead of Bradford and sees a fellow officer Ben Jurack swinging a knife towards his wife, Marie, who happens to be Shelley's sister. Shelley swears she gave Ben a warning which he ignored. She fired and killed Ben. Her partner arrives on the scene after the killing. The press has a field day because of the incident. They go so far as to inconsistently accuse the Chief of Detectives Harold McCoo of either a cover-up or unfair treatment of a woman. Leaks from the department itself is making it easier on the media to prosecute Shelley and Harold.

The police brass decide that Shelley and Harold are the perfect fall guys to be fed to the hungry media's feeding frenzy. However, free lance reporter Cat Marsala knows her friend Harold too well to believe that he would obstruct the truth. She decides to help him by investigating the incident and more important, the aftermath. As Cat gets closer to the truth, the brass purposely removes Harold from the case to make it seem to the public as if he has done something sinister. This adds even more pressure to Cat to solve the reasons behind the department's handling of the aftermath before her friend finds his career over.

The Cat Marsala series is the best tour of Chicago since Ferris took a day off. Cat is a great character who, in HARD BARGAIN, proves her loyalty and belief in her friend by her willingness to take risks to help him out of a nasty fix. The story line of the top management of the police department willing to do anything to shift the blame is well designed, turning the tale into an intriguing police procedural. With this novel, Barbara D'Amato demonstrates why she is an award winning author.

Harriet Klausner