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This novel reeks of authenticity. It's both a legal and a family thriller with a couple of mysteries attached. Author Phelan is truly writing about things she knows well and you can tell. One of the things that business lawyers do is help businessmen with corporate legal stuff, including new ventures. When an ex-thug hires the firm, Dain & Dain (father and daughter, here) to provide the due diligence and help him move the project into reality, the job is handled by younger daughter Hannah Dain, our protagonist. All well and good until things begin to go south in a serious and big-money way. Family relations, not real good to begin with, start to deteriorate as well. Potential death-dealing lawsuits, bombs, murder and other assorted nastiness inevitably follow, as does the heat of the day in this desert town of Pinnacle Peak. It's a clever plot with surprises along the way which will keep readers turning the page. There are however, a few problems. Hannah Dain is a very private person, not exactly prickly, but she isn't warm and cuddly. Her personality makes her difficult to know and harder for the reader to empathize with, especially at first. There were a couple of times when I wanted to metaphorically whack her with a slat. Hannah is a bright, accomplished woman, but sometimes lets her emotions get the better of good judgment. That happens on a couple of unnecessary occasions. But the plot works, and the presentation doesn't require huge suspensions of disbelief within the context of the story. Indeed, the dialogue is crisp, logical and makes sense. There is nice balance between exposition and action and the book gets better as it goes along. The final climactic chapters are very well-handled and provide all the thrills any crime fiction reader could ask for. Stay away from the inside jacket copy, especially if you are one of those readers who prefers to get the story as it develops. The jacket reveals far too many plot elements. All this is niggling. Phelan has the tools to be a crackerjack author. FAMILY CLAIMS is a good early attempt. Given the opportunity, this author has a bright future.
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, March 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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