DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

54
Deadly Pleasures
tenant, a mysterious
older man dies, they discover
almost $400,000
in the apartment. They
decide to keep the
money as the tenant
appears to not have any
relatives. Unfortunately,
that decision places some
very unsavory characters
into their lives who are
aware of the money and
want it back. No matter
what Tom and Anna do,
they anticipate that they
will be killed. The only
way to get out of the
situation is to fight back
no matter what the cost.
Marcus Sakey has written a solid and suspenseful
thriller. The placing of an otherwise ordinary couple into
a situation way beyond their control makes the protagonists
easy to identify with. There is a certain cinematic
quality to the storyline, which is both easy to follow and
quite compelling. In fact, the book almost demands to be
read in one sitting and that is not too hard to do. Marcus
Sakey, in this, his third book, reveals himself to be a highly
competent storyteller and an author very easy to recommend.
His first book, A BLADE DESCENDED, was one
of the finest debuts of 2007 and now GOOD PEOPLE
reveals a penchant for solid storytelling that should continue
to win him fans all over the world. This is one of the
most entertaining books of the summer season.
SHADOW OF POWER by Steve Martini (Morrow,
$26.95). Rating: B+ Terrance Scarborough, a law
professor who thrives on controversy, writes about the
injustices of slavery. He claims to have a letter written by
Thomas Jefferson that will set the country on edge and
disrupt already tenuous race relations. Unfortunately,
before he can produce the letter for authentication, he is
brutally murdered in his hotel room. The suspect arrested
is the room-service valet, who happens to be a member of
a white-supremacist group.
Defense attorney Paul Madriani takes on the
valet’s defense as a favor to the suspect’s father. Madriani
is up against a tough prosecutor and a mountain of
evidence. As Paul looks into the case, he begins to doubt
the guilt of his client and struggles to prove his client’s
innocence by any means possible, including the unusual
tactic of subpoenaing a Supreme Court justice who knew
about the Jefferson letter.
The basis of this very good legal thriller is the trial.
The beginning of the book leads up to it and almost the
entire book stems from it. Steve Martini writes a captivating
and detailed narrative of very exciting, twist-and-turn
court proceedings. There are a few scenes of investigation
thrown in, but the emphasis in on very well-written witness
dialogue. If you are a reader like me, the pages will fly by
without notice of what is going on around you.
A minor problem I had with the book came at the
end. The trial gets wrapped up in almost a perfunctory
manner and when the final truth emerges, we are subjected
to a fifteen-page exposition from a person who has
no motive to tell Madriana anything. With a carefully
considered story, long expositions should be unnecessary.
Just skip most of this part and enjoy the trial scenes, which
make SHADOW OF POWER a most worthwhile entertainment.
ANGEL’S TIP by Alafair Burke (Harper, 23.95).
Rating: B A serial killer is stalking the nightclubs of New
York City. NYPD Detective Ellie Hatch discovers the body
of a young woman while jogging early one morning. The
body is later identified as Chelsea Hart, a coed last seen
partying with two friends. As Ellie looks into the case,
suspects emerge from a local nightclub. Just as the DA
feels the case is closed, Ellie starts to have her doubts and
continues to search for the killer. The closer she gets to the
solution, the more she comes to the realization that her life
might also be in danger.
Alafair Burke has written a competent crime
novel which, though lacking originality, remains fast paced
and entertaining throughout. The character of Ellie is well
thought out but is a relatively unmemorable creation. The
hunky male partner fits right into the female detective
mode written by other female mystery authors. Ms. Burke
does a particularly powerful job of depicting the NYC
nightclub scene and lends it a strong sense of danger.
Without the clichés this would be a stronger work. Nevertheless,
it is very entertaining and well worth considering
for the pool or the plane.
Mount ToBeRead
MtTBR here is any book that I haven’t yet
read which a while ago I attempted to consolidate
into a single bookcase. They overflowed that bookcase.
So it became the two MtTBR bookcases. They
overflowed the second bookcase. So it became two
MtTBR bookcases and the pile on the coffee table.
Then there were mutterings about not being able to
see the TV. So now it’s the two MtTBR bookcases,
the pile on the coffee table, and the stack on the
bedside table. Then I was having trouble reading of
a night because the pile was obscuring the bedside
light. So now it’s the two MtTBR bookcases, the pile
on the coffee table, the smaller stack on the bedside
table and that pile in the corner of the little hallway.
I can’t promise what it’ll be next week, but I am
expecting a small order to be shipped from Boomerang
Books... Karen Chisholm, Melbourne,
Australia