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Kate Wilhelm
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Sleight of Hand (A Barbara Holloway Novel, 3) Paperback – July 24, 2007

by Kate Wilhelm (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 66 ratings
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Gregarious Vegas entertainer Wally Lederer has a lucrativeshowbiz career, but when a childhood friend accuses him ofstealing a valuable artifact, his checkered past comes back tohaunt him. Wally claims he's turned his life around sincespending time in the slammer for picking pockets, but will thepolice believe him? More important, does Barbara believe himwhen he pleads his case to her?

Wally swears he's innocent. But when his accuser is foundmurdered, Barbara knows Wally is in serious trouble—the police have named him as their prime suspect.

Barbara begins to dig up the dirt, and before long new evidencepoints toward an unlikely killer. Now Barbara must decide ifprotecting her client by revealing the truth will destroy anotherlife she means to save.
Previous page
  1. Book 7 of 12
    Barbara Holloway
  2. Print length
    416 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    MIRA
  5. Publication date
    July 24, 2007
  6. Dimensions
    4.5 x 1 x 6.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0778324885
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0778324881
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wilhelm claims a leading place in the ranks of trial suspense writers" -- Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIRA (July 24, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0778324885
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0778324881
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 1 x 6.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

About the author

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Kate Wilhelm

Kate Wilhelm

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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

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
66 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Laura M. Shemick
5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently good
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013
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Kate Wilhelm always writes a good yarn, whether it's about brilliant, moody Barbara Holloway or any of her other protagonists. This one has all the elements she's used before to attract and keep the reader's attention, including the riveting trial where Barbara, as always, out-lawyers her opposing counsel.
Wilhelm paints her protagonist as a deeply caring, fiercely honest, and fatally flawed person who will never be able to find true love, although she will take tremendous satisfaction in her legal work. This is probably the hook that makes me eagerly await each new Holloway book - I know that while Barbara will never find true love, how close will she get this time? And her courage and cleverness in the practice of law is, well, inspiring.
I do dread the day when Wilhelm decides to take Barbara's dad out of the mix. His cats, his garden, his cooking and his writing provide a foundation of sanity, without which I cannot imagine Barbara surviving her tendency toward obsessive-compulsive disorder.
2 people found this helpful
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john f
4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2008
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Without getting into every detail, I enjoyed reading this book. It was easy reading without a million characters to remember and a good story line. Out of all the Kate Wilhelm books I have read this is one of the better.
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Gloria Gardner
5.0 out of 5 stars another great from Kate!
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2013
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I love her books, I will probably read everyone she has written because they are captivating: plot, characters, writing and suspense.
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Stoney
3.0 out of 5 stars > GREAT CHARACTERS, great character development; unsatisfying plot resolution
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
> Okay, it really should be 4 stars (for the great characters), but somebody has to point out the short comings of the plotting and resolution.
> SETUP -- Wally Lederer , an ex-con, is accused of the murder of Jay Wilkins, an old acquaintance, after stealing a golden Egyptian "boat" from Wilkins. Subsequently it is discovered that Wilkins' wife had been murdered even earlier, although despite much evidence, her death is ruled a suicide. Wilkins is defended by attorney Barbara Holloway.
> CHARACTERS -- The characters are wonderfully developed, compelling, and relatable. They are all (well, maybe not Jay Wilkins), people you'd like to know.
> PLOT AND DEVELOPMENT -- I was disappointed by multiple red herrings and unresolved plot lines. Until the very end, I was expecting at least one major plot twist --- none of which never occurred.
EXAMPLES (spoilers):
-- It is implied that Jay Wilkins killed his wife. The strongest "evidence" is the elaborate lengths he goes to establish that she was suicidal, and well as his thorough and detailed alibi (which is never actually disproved), but we never really know whether he killed her or not. Conceivably, a twist on the last page could have "revealed" another character to have been the killer of Wilkin's wife.
-- It is implied (stated?) that Jay Wilkins was killed by his daughter -- but I was expecting that to be revealed as an "error", a misunderstanding, or a lie. A simple twist on the last page could have "revealed" any of four (or more) other characters to have been the killer of Wilkins. Yes, a murder mystery needs such potential alternatives, but the novel would have been better if the murderers were confirmed earlier, with the resolution of the novel concentrating on courtroom drama.
-- It is strongly implied Wilkins faked the theft as a magician's misdirection, but we never really learn the reason for the thief (or the reasons given by Wilhelm do not ring true). Was the theif part of the cover for the completely unrelated murder of his wife?--which would make the fake thief literally "overkill". But Wally Lederer is the "magician", and is far more likely to have used such a misdirection.
-- The police detective's lack of interest in the pre-trial evidence Barbara Holloway presents strains credulity. Even a hostile fool doesn't want to be publicly embarrassed by his "enemy", and should have investigated the evidence, if only to cover his own butt. Speaking of which, we never learn the reason for the enmity between the detective and Holloway -- unless I missed it, maybe in the previous novel.
-- Barbara does a good job of refuting much forensic evidence (dirt, threads, etc.) -- but by a false narrative (which she knows to be false). Great. But what was the correct interpretation of that forensic evidence?
-- Barbara's apparently unresolvable-for-no-particular-reason romantic problems remain unresolved---and (sorry, I'm a testosterone-poisoned geezer with little patience for pointless whining) was very annoying to me.

> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.
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Beth Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
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Love love love the Barbara Holloway series. Hard to put the book down, the stories draw you in! Always looking for the next book.
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Dennis Veith
4.0 out of 5 stars lawyer versus lawyer
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2012
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I thought the book started off a little slow. But much of the book consisted of the murder trial and I really got drawn into that. I guess this is a story of murder where the reader knows who did the deed, but the police don't. The trial stuff got me to really thinking. Is our system of criminal justice really make sense? The concept is that an adversarial proceeding between prosecution and defense is the best way to get at the truth. I was left thinking that might not be so.
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Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars My view of Kate Wilhelm's books
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
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I love reading Kate Wilhelm's books and in particular the Barbara Holloway series. I love the two main characters, father and daughter, how they interact and work together. I have never been disappointed reading a Kate Wilhelm book, she has a way of holding your attention from start to finish.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Second Barbara Holloway book
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
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A full novel length! Nicely developed characters and good interaction especially between Barbara and her father. The conflicts between Barbara and her new lover are very well laid out
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