Customer Reviews

Presumption of Death (O'Shaughnessy, Perri)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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

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!

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.

Listeners have come to expect exemplary readings from voice performer Laural Merlington and she delivers again with "Presumption of Death," the ninth in the Nina Reilly series by the sister duo who write under the pen name of Perri O'SHAUGHNESSY.

After battling for some of Lake Tahoe's most challenging clients attorney Nina Reilly deserves a breather. But, we don't always get what we deserve, do we?

Nina is found in Carmel Valley with her steadfast boyfriend, Paul van Wagoner. He wants to tie the knot - she's not sure she's ready. Any thoughts of matrimony are put on hold when arson rears its deadly head. There have been two suspicious fires to date. A third inferno results in loss of life.

Regrettably, the suspect earmarked by the police is Wish, the son of Nina's former assistant. Not only that but the fatality was Wish's good friend, an auto mechanic who resented the changes taking place in his hometown.

As Nina and Paul begin their investigation it's not too long before they learn that those fires aren't the only burning issues in this picturesque community.

- Gail Cooke

Attorney Nina Reilly returns to where she began her career, Carmel Valley, but a warm welcome she does not receive, instead she receives news that Wish, the son of her former assistant Sandy, has been arrested.

A series of suspicious fires have raged through the valley, and the latest fire has left a young man dead and Wish as the primary suspect.

Nina knows Wish is not an arsonist, or a killer, but a few questions bother her... why was Wish in the forest, why did his friend end up dead, and why is there a witness saying they saw Wish?

As the answers to these questions begin to surface, Nina finds a dark conspiracy running through the peaceful valley, and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence her.

`Presumption Of Death' is not the best entry in the Nina Reilly series, it plods along, rather slowly, telling a tale of a town covered in secrets, but where the novel should have picked up speed, it slowed down with the overlapping storylines of Nina's relationship, and Native American heritage.

I was surprised at how disappointing this novel was because Perri O'Shaughnessy (the pen name for two sisters) has previously written great novels in this thrilling series. While not an awful novel, `Presumption Of Death' does not contain the page-turning elements, or the interesting plot-line of the earlier novels.

Nick Gonnella

I've read all the other books in this series and liked them all. But, this one is bad!!! Nina is boring in her new role as a live-in side kick; and Paul shows his controlling nature, so I didn't like him either. I stopped reading about 120 pages into the book after we had met all the characters in the neigborhood who might be suspects in the arson. I couldn't keep them straight, and after awhile I didn't even care. The plot seemed so improbable and disjointed. I don't stop reading many books, as I can find a redeeming feature in most of them. Not this one.
Put Nina back in her law office with the characters we have grown to care about.

I enjoy watching the characters in books of this genre take new directions, it keeps readers on their toes. The characters in 'Presumption of Death,' by Perri O' Shaughnessy are well-thoughout and interesting and the plot had me reading the story to the final page with much eagerness. I find that to be a very appealing combination.

John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
California

Attorney Nina Reilly returns to where she began her career, Carmel Valley, but a warm welcome she does not receive, instead she receives news that Wish, the son of her former assistant Sandy, has been arrested.

A series of suspicious fires have raged through the valley, and the latest fire has left a young man dead and Wish as the primary suspect.

Nina knows Wish is not an arsonist, or a killer, but a few questions bother her... why was Wish in the forest, why did his friend end up dead, and why is there a witness saying they saw Wish?

As the answers to these questions begin to surface, Nina finds a dark conspiracy running through the peaceful valley, and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence her.

`Presumption Of Death' is not the best entry in the Nina Reilly series, it plods along, rather slowly, telling the tale of a town covered in secrets, but where the novel should have been interesting, it was confusing, and boring with too many characters, and the overlapping storylines of Nina's relationship, and Native American heritage.

I was surprised at how disappointing this novel was because bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy (the pen name for two sisters) has previously written great novels in this thrilling series. While not overly terrible, `Presumption Of Death' is not that good, and does not contain the page-turning elements, or the interesting plot-line of the earlier novels.

Nick Gonnella

After years of pursuit, Nina Reilly finally realizes she loves Paul and is willing to see where their relationship will take them. She moves out of her home on Lake Tahoe, rents out her law practice, and moves into Pauls place in Carmel. Ninas former assistant Sandis son Wish accompanies them because he is working during the summer for Paul in his private investigative business and is living in Ninas rental home with two other young men.

One night against his better judgment, Wish joins his friend up in the woods near the Siesta Court homes to catch and film an arsonist who has already set two fires. Things go terribly wrong and Wishs friend dies. The arsonist injures Wish who is later arrested on an assortment of charges including homicide. It will take all of Ninas considerable legal and investigative skills to get enough evidence to free a client she knows is innocent.

PRESUMPTION OF DEATH is a very good and exciting legal thriller but also is so much more. Nina returns to the place of her childhood and realizes one can go home again. Readers see the relationship between Paul and Nina grow stronger and see through Ninas eyes that she might have a long-term future with him, something he wants very badly. The story line has many twists and turns and it is only when the novel reaches the court phase that readers have a glimmer of what is really going on. Perri OShauqhnessy will appeal to readers who love John Grisham.

Harriet Klausner

In Presumption of Death, the O'Shaughnessy sisters turn up the heat, both literally and figuratively, when Sandy Whitefeather's son, Wish, just barely escapes from an inferno, only to find himself charged with arson and murder. With the evidence mounting against Wish, Nina faces an uphill battle she must fight in geographically and socially unfamiliar territory.

Nina's personal life is as fiery as the inexplicable conflagrations around Siesta Court, the scene of the crime. She can't decide how she feels about long-time friend and lover, Paul van Wagoner, she can't quite cope with son Bob's raging adolescene and she can't unravel the twisted threads of her own psyche. And yet, Nina manages to do what she does best: work the case.

As noted by other reviewers, this novel IS different from the others in the series and I suspect that what may be so jarring for some readers is that Presumption of Death so successfully captures the true-to-life ebb and flow of a relationship (the petty annoyances, the inexplicable fears, etc.), the disorientation that arises when suddenly confronted with a "foreign" culture, and the pressure to meet the unreasonable demands of cherished friends.

More than any other novel in this excellent mystery series, Presumption of Death is steeped in the idealogy and philosophy that is so quintessentially Californian and, at every turn in the story, its essence can be felt. In much the same way, the sisters masterfully evoke the desired reactions to the Siesta Court community by skillfully and unapologetically plunging the reader right into the midst of its swirling waters.

For fans of the Nina Reilly mysteries, there is certainly enough of the familiar feel of the series to keep the reader comfortable . . . but it's the unexpected departures that give this book its distinctive, and - perhaps - more honest (if less comfortably predictable) flavor.