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SLEEPING BONES
by Katherine V. Forrest
Berkley, July 2000
272 pages
$13.00
ISBN: 0425174840


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

The La Brea Tar Pits were a deceptively beautiful place where animals would come to water and sustain their lives and end up dying agonizing deaths. After they drank their fill, they would find that they were ensnared in the gooey asbestos. Their cries of panic would attack predators who would then unwittingly become victims themselves.

Fast forward 40,000 years to LA today. Arguably, it is a more civilized place now; that is if your name isn't Herman Layton and you haven't just received an ice pick to the gut which has destroyed your innards. Layton was visiting the La Brea Museum, having an interest in paleontology for several reasons. First of all, his daughter, Peri, is a renowned paleo-anthropologist whose work with fossils is celebrated in the academic world. Secondly, when Herman was in the Marines over 50 years earlier, he and his unit were responsible for the transport of the incomparable Peking Man fossils, which were subsequently lost somewhere in China.

The Layton case is assigned to an experienced detective, Kate Delafield and her new partner of 3 weeks, Joe Cameron. Kate's two previous partners were duds, so she is wary of trusting Joe until he proves himself. He seems to have a lot of the right stuff, although he is somewhat green. He has quite an interest in paleontology which proves very helpful to the case. Both Kate and Joe guard their privacy. Kate is a lesbian who doesn't want to broadcast her sexual preferences for obvious reasons. Although she considers herself married to a wonderful woman named Aimee, this type of relationship isn't typically accepted in the macho world of law enforcement.

As Joe and Kate begin to investigate the case, a real downer is thrown into the mix. For some reason, the CIA is very interested in the incident. There's a lot of conflict between the 2 branches of law enforcement, with the arrogant CIA types trying to intimidate the locals. Fortunately, Kate's new police lieutenant, an African-American female named Carolina Walcott who Kate hasn't quite figured out yet, stands up to the CIA quite well. Unfortunately, Kate has to keep the CIA involvement secret from Joe.

There are a few back stories which add to the interest of the book. It turns out that Kate's mother had a child out of wedlock, a fact that she never disclosed to anyone until right before her death. Kate's older brother wants to meet her, and that has her emotions in a flurry. Secondly, one of Aimee and Kate's friends is being stalked by her jealous ex-husband. The incidents against her are becoming increasingly violent, and they fear for her life. When Kate takes Joe into her confidence and they work together to stop this man, it's a turning point in their partnership.

I found the book to be quite well written, very human, with dialog that was very realistic and conversational. My only problem with the book was understanding everything that happened with the Peking Man bones. I also found that the relationship between Aimee and Kate seemed idealized. I haven't read the previous books in the series, but it seems that the events in this book force Kate into situations she hasn't faced before. She has to test both her professional and personal principles, and she doesn't always come out smelling like a rose. I think that's what makes her appealing, the fact that her humanity ultimately comes ahead of the rules and that she is so conflicted about being more honest about her sexuality. The plot was satisfyingly complex, and I found that I wanted to spend more time with Joe and Kate and discover their secrets.

Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, July 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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