ONE MUST WAIT: A NOVEL (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Penny Mickelbury (Author), Penny Micklebury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 1998 | Series: Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries

Introducing rising black criminal defense attorney Carol Ann Gibson--in a highly charged new series by the Lambda Award-nominated author of "Night Songs". When her husband, a high-powered corporate lawyer, ends up dead after meeting with a most unscrupulous client, Carol Ann travels from the nation's capital to the backwater swamps of Louisiana to find out the secrets behind his death Targeted print ads. 3-city author tour.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One Must Wait, the first book in what is certain to be a new series about African American defense attorney Carole Ann Gibson, starts as she labors to convince a jury that her client, a Washington, D.C., cop named Tommy Griffin, really is innocent--unlike most of the criminals she gets off the hook. Carole Ann's husband, Alain Crandall, works for a corporate law firm with even nastier clients, especially an outfit called Parish Petroleum. Carole Ann and Al decide to quit their jobs and find some area of the law that they can stomach, but Al is killed in a mugging shortly after announcing his intentions. When a sympathetic cop looking into the mugging is shot in the back and paralyzed, Gibson realizes that something more than street crime is involved in her husband's death. Following Al's footsteps into the Louisiana swamps, Carole Ann untangles threads of oil, blood, and money. Fortunately, Penny Mickelbury is such a subtle and imaginative writer that she can take this venerable genre cliché and turn it into an extremely moving and exciting journey of ethnic and moral discovery.

From Library Journal

Stricken by a crise de conscience when she nearly lets an innocent policeman go to prison, successful black District of Columbia defense attorney Carol Ann Gibson quits her job. Her husband, also an attorney, plans to quit as well: he hates working for crooks. Murder intercedes, however, and Carol Ann winds up in bigoted Louisiana looking for evidence against the corporate polluters who instigated her husband's death. An overlong exposition kicks off this first book in a new series, but once Carol Ann begins her mission, the plot begins to percolate. A good title for most collections?and an improvement over Mickelbury's previous novel, Night Songs (LJ 2/1/95).
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684837412
• ISBN-13: 978-0684837413
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,839,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supurb Storytelling, March 17, 2000

By 

D. LEE "dml48221" (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ONE MUST WAIT: A NOVEL (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

If the measure of a good book is that it totally captivates you such that you miss the first 2 (two) boarding calls for a flight out of town, then this a good book. I absolutely loved the authors ability to draw the reader into the story and not let them go until the very end. A definate page turner and left me with my mouth hanging open. (unconciously of course) I also loved the talk of New Orleans and the issues surrounding race, color, Creole vs. Cajun and all of the concpets indigenous to Louisiana. I was so impressed with the novel that about 1/2 way through this book, I immediately ordered her other 2 books. I truly hope the same depth and richness are present. Very, very good book and a must read for anyone who enjoys suspense, drama and wonderfully descriptive novels .

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slooow but Gratifying!!, April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: ONE MUST WAIT: A NOVEL (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I didn't actually enjoy reading this book until the very end. The beginning was extremely slow, but I had enough faith to believe that the author would pick up the pace eventually. I was right!! The ending was very exciting and suprises popped up at every turn. If you begin reading and find it difficult because the beginning drags along, hang in there! Penny saved the best for last.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another award winning thriller, November 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: ONE MUST WAIT: A NOVEL (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Carol and Alain Gibson are a black yuppie couple rising fast in their respective DC law firms. However, both are struggling with their conscience as Carol successfully defends guilty white collar criminals and Alain finds loopholes in environmental laws that benefit the avaricious needs of his clients at the cost of the public. Alain abruptly quits his firm over the latest shady deal. However, a few days later, Alain is found dead, murdered on a DC street.

A distraught Carol wants to know what happened to her beloved spouse. The police feel it is another random mugging that went bad. However, a persistent law enforcement official disagrees with the brass and is soon paralyzed by a gunshot. Carol decides to investigate what really happened to her spouse. She starts with that last client, Parish Petroleum, and begins to uncover massive environmental destruction that impacts the poor Louisiana blacks.

One must be patient with ONE MUST WAIT because the novel starts very slow, but once it clears that first incline, it becomes a runaway roller coaster ride that will thrill all fans of who-done-its. Carol is a great character, refusing to quit until she learns why her husband was murdered, even as she internally struggles with her wealth and position while observing her starving sisters. The fast-paced story line cleverly blends environment and race into a plausible scenario. Readers will want more works like this one from Penny Micklebury, who looks like she has the stuff to be a superstar.

Harriet Klausner