From Publishers Weekly
In Forrest's not quite noir, somewhat flat legal drama, the fifth in her Kate Delafield series (Amateur City, etc.), the seasoned LAPD detective investigates a murder in the affluent low-crime enclave of Hancock Park. Dysfunctional family values are scrutinized in the press and in a heated courtroom scrimmage, where the slip of a word or facial tic can arm a clever defense attorney. When the corpse of middle-aged matron Victoria Talbot turns up in her stately, suspiciously spick-and-span home, most of the evidence points to her unrepentant and loathsome ex-husband, entrepreneur Douglas Talbot. Kate and faithful partner Detective Joe Cameron structure the developing leads into a damning picture of guilt. The coldly competent deputy DA presents the circumstantial case against Talbot, whose harassment of his ex-wife long after the divorce speaks volumes. But a last-minute bombshell à la Perry Mason adds an unexpected twist. The author's realistic rendering of courtroom hijinks and her sympathetic, ultra-professional, strong yet vulnerable protagonist help salvage a less than exciting story line. Some of the more intriguing characters get short shrift, leeching color from the whole, but loyal fans won't be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
What are we to make of the new, kinder-and-gentler Detective Kate Delafield? She doesn't care that an important case ends in a hung jury, with no retrial in sight. She willingly expends her talents on tracking down a runaway niece she has never met. She even comes close to soul-sharing with a peer. Granted, it took her longtime lover, Aimee, walking out on her, but what with all the thoughtful rue and contemplation, fans may think they've wandered onto Graham Greene turf. Forrest alternates courtroom scenes and her closeted-lesbian sleuth's first-person flashbacks, but the action eventually moves into present tense during the investigation of a killing in the Hollywood neighborhood of the title. In what is perhaps a transitional book, Forrest seems to be moving into reflective, almost spiritual territory and concentrating more on inner musings than on murder-mystery action. Fans of the series might feel a tad let down. Well, stay tuned for the next. Who knows what kind of transformation the hardbitten, hard-drinking Delafield might make? Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Katherine V. Forrest is the two-time Lambda Award-winning author of Curious Wine-one of the all-time bestselling works of lesbian fiction-as well as numerous novels featuring Kate Delafield. She was born in Canada, and since 1979 has been a full-time writer and editor.
