From Publishers Weekly
In this engaging drama set against a political campaign, the sixth to chronicle the cases of Kansas police chief Susan Wren (after 2001's A Cold Christmas), Weir ably juggles a large cast of characters: Jack Garrett, the governor of Kansas, who's seeking his party's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election; Molly, his ambitious wife; Todd Haviland, his campaign manager; Cassilda Storm, his first love; Wakely Fromm, his oldest and best friend; and scores of other carefully drawn friends and enemies. Sean Donovan, a political writer for a prestigious periodical, thinks there's a story in the governor's relationship with Fromm, who's been in a wheelchair since the two fought a forest fire 20 years earlier. But when Donovan goes to interview Fromm, he finds Fromm dead in his bathroom, shot in the head, apparently by his own hand. Wren has her work cut out for her when suicide proves to be homicide and the evidence implicates Governor Garrett. A big black dog also figures in the plot. The suspense builds to the end of this convoluted mystery, which conveys to readers the agreeable sense that the survivors are going to find happiness.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Hampstead, Kansas, Police Chief Susan Wren returns in this exciting adventure, which draws together numerous ancillary characters and subplots that somehow enliven the story rather than bogging it down. The tie that binds them together is Governor Jack Garrett, a handsome politician who hopes to be the Democratic nominee for president. Cass, his former girlfriend, is trying to overcome a severe bout of depression brought on by the sudden death of her husband and child. Jack's wife, Molly, is none too pleased when Jack brings Cass onboard the campaign. Meanwhile, Chief Susan Wren is entertaining her charismatic but devilish journalist cousin, Sean Donovan, who is following Garrett's campaign and promptly gets implicated in a murder. Susan is also pondering her relationships with her top-two male officers: Parkhurst, who likes her too much, and Demarco, who is almost insubordinate. As people connected with the campaign begin turning up dead, the pressure is on Susan to solve the case before her cousin gets arrested. Another first-rate entry in an intriguing series.
Jenny McLarinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
