Skeletons: A Novel of Suspense [Hardcover]

Kate Wilhelm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2002

Lee Donne's family is gifted. Her mother has three doctorates, her father is an economics genius, and her grandfather is a world renowned Shakespearean scholar. Lee's own gift, if you could call it that, is an eidetic memory that seems to maintain a visual representation of everything she's ever seen. For the most part, this gift is useless; it certainly hasn't helped Lee in college, where she's just spent four years drifting from major to major, with no degree in sight.

Without a job or prospects, Lee is relieved to be housesitting her grandfather's isolated Oregon home. But her stay soon becomes a nightmare when she is tormented by strange and menacing noises at night. Emboldened by a visit from her friend Casey, Lee finds that the source of these haunting sounds is an all-too-human force--a young and well-respected man.

He knew that Lee's grandfather would be away, but what could he have been looking for? The search for answers takes Lee from the Pacific Northwest to the streets of New Orleans.

Using her strange gift as she probes into her family's past, Lee uncovers secrets more far-reaching and sinister than she ever could imagine.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When college student Lee Donne agrees to housesit for her grandfather in his hundred-year-old Oregon farmhouse, she has no idea why it's protected with such an up-to-date security system. She discovers the reason after an attempt to scare her out of the house backfires: buried in an abandoned root cellar is the proof of a hideous crime that occurred long before she was born, one whose revelation could destroy the political ambitions of a very powerful man and put Lee, her best friend, and even her grandfather in jeopardy. Wilhelm elevates a ho-hum plot into a suspenseful narrative that sheds light on a dark chapter in history and illuminates its effect on three generations of an American family. This is an unusual coming-of-age story about a young woman who finds her destiny in a place she never expected to discover it, written with Wilhelm's usual skill and verve. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Marilee Donne is the academic loser of an overachieving family who is accidentally responsible for a young stalker's death while house-sitting for her grandfather in Eugene, Ore. The novel follows her attempt-with the help of her best friend, Casey, and a smalltown reporter, Bruno-to unravel the stalker's motivation, as we discover that he was not after Marilee but evidence of a Klan lynching tucked away in her grandfather's house. When they learn that the lynching involved an up-and-coming presidential candidate, their trip takes them to New Orleans in search of the evidence they need to seal the case against him. Wilhelm tackles difficult material in her latest novel, not altogether successfully. Her dated hyper-consciousness of race is jarring: Casey, Marilee's brainy African-American friend, is described as a sort of unlikely prodigy, and Marilee constantly worries that their friendship will be misinterpreted-"I could imagine what his report had been: lesbian lovers, a violent black woman beating up on her little blond partner." Wilhelm equates the Crescent City with the racist Deep South of yore, and the dire warnings strangers give Casey not to be seen eating with Marilee (or "someone might decide to run a truck into that old heap of yours") are-in a modern town that's more than half African-American-ludicrous. Likewise, statements such as "although desegregation was the law of the land, segregation ruled" take powerful liberty with the actual city. The mystery at the heart of the novel is well crafted, but the gee-whiz narration and implausible context sink this well-intentioned whodunit.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (August 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312300751
• ISBN-13: 978-0312300753
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,571,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1928, Kate Wilhelm the author of more than thirty novels including Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang and The Unbidden Truth. Her work has been adapted for TV and film and translated into twenty languages. She has been awarded the Prix Apollo, Kurd Lasswitz, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. In 2003, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Her short fiction appeared in landmark anthologies such as Again Dangerous Visions, Orbit, The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women, and The Norton Book of Science Fiction. A cofounder of the Clarion Writers' Workhops, she continues to host monthly writing workshops in Eugene, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Time, February 5, 2004

By 

Peggie Duggan (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skeletons (Mass Market Paperback)

First time I have read this author - read the book in one sitting and was truly surprised and delighted. The plot was excellent, the heroine intelligent, and the book continued where most writers simply run out of steam or to formula. I'll be reading more of Ms. Wilhelm for the sheer luxurious pleasure of all the criteria above. Thanks!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting story, but..., August 22, 2005

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Skeletons (Mass Market Paperback)

Skeletons holds such promise. This is a strong plot. If only the characterizations and settings came close to matching it. The weaknesses here, and they are glaring, are the stereotypes, cliches, loose ends, and the obvious romantic subplot. As soon as he calls her "Sherlock", you know there'll be the happy ending. Disappointing.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I didn't hate it, July 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Skeletons (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first Kate Wilhelm novel. I may choose to read more. I enjoyed Lee Donne, the main character because she was smart, and she didn't succumb to stupid romantic subplots that so often ruin these books. I liked the premise of the book as well: mystery meets history. I was bothered, however, by the typical Southern stereotypes portrayed. I am a Southener, and I can assure you that, for example, a bar patronized by tourists, would never have the television turned to a white power spouting racist politician. Come on, this is New Orleans. Tourism is its bread and butter. And, if Ms. Wilhelm had spent any time there, she would know that New Orleans is a huge melting pot of cultures that typically have melded to make it a fascinating place. It is a place where differences are appreciated. Furthermore, I tired of the descriptions of the houses and how disgusted Lee became with the fabulous richness "built on the backs of slaves." I felt it was overkill. I appreciate what Ms. Wilhelm was trying to say about how racism still rules some areas of the South. I would never try to deny that it exists here. But I took offense in the fact that she stereotyped all Southeners by the 1% of crazies, whackos, and idiots that also happen to reside here with the those of us who want racism and hatred to end not just in the South, but everywhere. Basically, this fact overshadowed what was a well-written and really fun read. Overall, I enjoyed the novel.