DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

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Deadly Pleasures
written on his forehead. The relatively gentle handling by
the person who put the boy in the box leads Leightner to
at first believe this may have been some kind of mercy
killing. But when another body shows up, also bearing the
mysterious letters, Leightner knows there is more to the
case. Meanwhile, he’s partnered with a cop who is
obviously in some sort of trouble and has a girlfriend to
whom he wants to propose but cannot find the right time
or way to do it.
This is the sequel to Gabriel Cohen’s Edgarnominated
first novel, RED HOOK, and there is no
sophomore slump here. This is a tensely written tale of
police investigation, coupled with a well delineated cast of
characters. In particular the relationship between Jack
and his hoped-to-be fiancée is touching and tender, while
at the same time realistic in light of Jack’s gruesome job.
This is an atmospheric book, with a gritty feel for
the poor areas of Brooklyn, but leavened with some dark
humor to hone the edge of the story to a fine point. Cohen
writes in such a believable fashion that the reader is caught
up from the opening page through to the suspenseful
resolution and enigmatic denouement.
But a minor word of caution. Dust jacket comments
often give away too much information. In this case
the solution to one of the major puzzles of the book will leap
out from the jacket copy at the careful reader. It is difficult
to understand why publishers are not more careful in what
they do. After all, one of the reasons people read
mysteries is for the explanation of the events. Not all
readers want the solution handed to them before they even
get to page one.
THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure ($23.95, St.
Martin’s Minotaur, January, 2008). Rating: C Walking
home from work Tuscan auto mechanic Cadence Moran
hears some sounds that catch her attention. But seconds
later she is almost run over by a car. What she heard was
the aftermath of the murder of a neighbor. When
Cadence’s face is splashed across the pages of the newspaper,
the killers believe that there is a witness who could
identify him. So they decide that she must die, too.
However, what the killers do not know at first is that
Cadence is blind and as a result could not have seen
anything. But what she heard, and what her other
heightened senses became aware of, could bring justice for
the victim anyway.
Louise Ure has created a rare protagonist: one
who must outwit murderers without being able to visually
identify them. Cadence is a remarkable heroine. She can
tell what kind of car she must fix at her job just by its sound
and then has to correct the problem without sight. She is
taking flying lessons from a relative. She is feisty and not
one to be put off. Ure’s descriptions of Cadence’s daily
life, her struggles, and her triumphs are remarkably well
written and believable. In fact Ure tried some of these
tasks herself, from changing a tire while blindfolded to
flying a single engine plane with her eyes closed.
Reviews
However, the plot itself is not as absorbing as
Cadence’s life. The villains are just vicious, violent dopes
who, if they had half a brain between them, would have
been better off just leaving town rather than sticking
around trying to kill someone who couldn’t identify them.
They can’t even succeed at running over a blind woman
(though they try it twice!) and even attempt to kill the wrong
person thinking it is Cadence. Fortunately, Cadence is up
to the task put in front of her, but I doubt that she would
be able to hold her own against even a partially competent
killer. Still, Ure can be applauded for giving us a story that
departs sufficiently from the norm to hold our attention and
a seriously handicapped (though I suspect Cadence would
not think of herself in that fashion) protagonist for whom
the reader will want to root.
THE INNS (AND OUTS) OF COURT
THE DARK OF DAY by
Barbara Parker ($25.95. Vanguard
Press, June, 2008). Rating:
C Celebrity attorney C. J. Dunn
has just finished getting a not guilty
verdict on behalf of a high-profile
client when she is approached by an
old friend of hers to represent an
employee of a congressman. Rick
Slater, the employee, attended a party where a beautiful
young woman disappeared. Several witnesses claim to
have seen him with her just before she vanished. Of course
the real object is to deflect any bad light being shined
toward the congressman, who was also in attendance at
the party. Meanwhile, Dunn struggles with her alcoholism,
deals with a runaway child of some acquaintances, and is
hot on the trail of an on-air position at CNN, a position
which the congressman could help her land.
This book has everything one might expect from
this sort of novel. We have the obligatory sexy and brilliant
female attorney. There is the obligatory sexy and lying
client. There’s the obligatory sexy and tough female
private investigator. What is new and different here is that
C. J. Dunn takes this case only for expense money and not
for the fees she would normally earn (in that regard she
sounds more like a private eye than a lawyer!). This turns
it from legal fiction into legal fantasy.
Unfortunately, there is little in the way of either
actual suspense or thrills in this legal thriller. It is rife with
coincidence, mostly unbelievable, and characters that
could use a bit more development. Dunn herself is nicely
drawn, battling with alcoholism and other problems that
are slowly revealed over the course of the novel. But most
of the other characters run together with little to distinguish
them.
In the past I’ve enjoyed the author’s “Suspicion”
series with attorneys Gail Conner and Anthony Quintana.
But this book missed the mark for me.