The LaTours' carefully calculated cat-and-mouse debut examines the frightening consequences of potentially lethal research. When chemistry professor Catherine Lakey vanishes without a trace from her seaside Massachusetts home, her niece, Nancy Mulholland, refuses to believe she has committed suicide, which is what the police suspect. In fact, Nancy finds little clues around her aunt's cottage that indicate that the woman has left of her own volition. As Nancy contacts Catherine's friends, she learns that one has just been killed in an apparent mugging. With the initially reluctant aid of Catherine's colleague, Frank Simco, Nancy follows her aunt's trail of clues, knocking down one stumbling block after another until she uncovers the secret of the chemistry professor's research and the subversive group that is capitalizing on it. With that group also searching for Catherine and maybe Nancy, there are plenty of heartstopping moments. The story is fractured by place, time and point of view, but the LaTours skillfully assemble the pieces into a taut conspiracy tale.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The prolog employed here-an excerpt from college professor Catherine Lakey's seven-year-old journal-plants a false premise in the reader's mind. In 1980, Catherine yearned for change, but apparently that desire has nothing to do with her 1987 disappearance from a Cape Cod cottage. Niece Nancy, however, discovers that Catherine left for a reason, and that she wants Nancy to find her. Nancy eventually uncovers an incredible motive that includes conspiracy, political subterfuge, and unwarranted murder. Solidly written with an intriguing plot; recommended.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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