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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Summer Sizzler, August 1, 2003
Nina Reilly is back! But in PRESUMPTION OF DEATH, she is no longer practicing law in Tahoe; rather she has taken up residence in Carmel Valley with her longtime lover, Paul van Wagoner, P.I. "Living together was a revelation. They weren't kids, and melding their lifestyles didn't come easy." Her son, Bob, is in Europe; her former secretary cum best friend, Sandy Whitefeather, is in Washington on business "... with the federal government at the Bureau of Indian Affairs ..." and Nina is auditioning for the part of Paul's permanent partner. Things are not quite perfect in the couple's relationship, but they put their personal concerns aside, when Sandy calls them for help. They are needed to identify the charred remains of an alleged arsonist who died in a fire not far from Paul's home. The victim could be Willis a.k.a. Wish, Sandy's son. She tells them that the police have called and informed her that "He went up the Robles Ridge above Carmel Valley Village ... with another boy. His roommates say he didn't come home that night or last night either." But Sandy does not believe he is dead nor does she believe he started the fire that burned fifteen acres. The couple hurries off to the morgue, and the story heats up from there. The remains are not Willis's. Wish is not dead, but if the body isn't his, then who burned to death in the blaze? The police are convinced that Whitefeather started the fire on the ridge and that he could be responsible for the other arsons that have suddenly erupted in the valley. They arrest him. And Nina finds herself with a client whose innocence she and Paul are determined to prove. Their work takes them up and down the California coast, but keeps bringing them back to the small neighborhood in the Village called Siesta Court. Nina infiltrates the community and sees cracks in the façade of closeness these people have created for themselves. As the families come together, one by one, each couple's vulnerabilities are exposed. As Nina and Paul work together on their own investigation, they discover that their personal needs often conflict and that, as with everything in life, compromises must be made. Piece by piece, the couple starts to unravel the intertwined facts and suppositions that appear to make a strong case against Wish. Slowly, and with a logical approach, the two are determined to get their friend out of jail and hopefully find the real killer/arsonist before he strikes again. And both of them commit themselves to building a life together. PRESUMPTION OF DEATH is Perri O'Shaughnessy's ninth Nina O'Reilly courtroom thriller. They (yes they, sisters Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy) have a track record that is hard to beat. Their readers have come to expect a terrific plot inundated with exciting twists and turns and appreciate how the O'Shaughnessy sisters manage to humanize their ensemble of regulars. Over the years, fans have watched Nina and her sidekicks grow into fully realized characters who are a delight to solve a whodunit with. This book is a winner and a perfect summer sizzler. Enjoy
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Reader Loved It, April 14, 2004
I am so surprised to read the negative reviews of this book, because to my mind, the O'Shaugnessy sisters, having fallen into quite a slump, thoroughly redeemed themselveds with "Presumption of Death." I found Nina Reilly's new venue (or old, depending on how much one has followed this character through the series) and new circumstances to be fascinating--I felt that a whole new burst of life had been injected into the series. Not only did I not find it boring, I zipped through the book in record time. Other reviewers have described the plot in detail...ominous forest fires, obviously the result of arson, are decimating the forests around the Carmel area--and young Wish Whitefeather, whom we have followed through all the books and brought to young adulthood, is arrested for setting the fires, with one count of murder to boot. It is up to Nina, who wanted nothing more than to take a hiatus from her career and explore her personal relationship with her lover and PI partner Paul, to take the case and save Wish from almost certain conviction. As Paul and Nina struggle to find a center to their relationship and to solve the increasingly thorny mystery of who really set the fires and why, a whole subcast of characters is explored. The end was sufficient enough for this reviewer to be on tenterhooks for the next book. I know this is not a popular point of view among other reviewers, and again, I don't know why. My reaction to this book was wholly positive, and I would definitely urge those who follow the series to read it. For those who have not been Nina Reilly fans in the past, my view is that this will turn the tide. Enough said!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring plot, dislikable characters, September 16, 2003
Nina Reilly is back in her ninth outing. For the last three years she has practiced law in Lake Tahoe. Now she is back in her hometown living with her boyfriend, Paul van Wagoner. Suspicious fires have been breaking out. A third fire has a fatality and the prime suspect is Wish Whitefeather, Wish happens to be Nina's secretary, Sandy's son. Nina and Paul work together to clear Wish of the charges. I'm a big fan of Perri O'Shaungnessy's other Nina Reilly novels. I could barely get through this one. If I hadn't had so much time invested in it, I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish it. One problem with the book is the characters are not likable. Even Nina is whiny and rather annoying. It's a bad sign when a beloved main character becomes irritating. The secondary cast around whom the plot revolves is a pathetic bunch of people. I could not care one whit about any of them. The plot was boring which is a big offense in the thriller genre. Part of the book dealt with Nina's conflicted relationship with Paul. I don't she her able to share her life with anyone. She really doesn't know how to compromise, so I think she should just head back to Tahoe and hopefully come back in a better story.
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