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LA reporter Eve Diamond is approached by Vincent Chevalier, a distraught father. His daughter, Isabel, has gone missing from her exclusive Pasadena prep school. She's left home before and he went to the squat where she usually hangs out, but she is not there. Eve goes with him to the squat where they find her body, wrapped in a futon. She is told to follow the story instead of writing the suburban school stuff she had been covering. Eve finds a file photo of Isabel at a mock trial at school. Also in the picture is Paolo Dellaviglia Langdon, son of Venus Dellaviglia Langdon and Carter Langdon III. Venus is the perfect political wife. Her salons at their mansion are legendary, and Carter is the perfect political animal. Having a son as handsome as Paolo doesn't hurt daddy's political chances either. Diamond goes to the mansion during a fund raiser and talks to Paolo. On her way out, she chances on Venus, in the kitchen, gobbling down a greasy, meat-filled taco. Venus' reaction is very strange. The next time Eve and Venus meet, Venus is dead, murdered in the pool house, apparently by her lover. Eve sees a men's Speedo bathing suit and a sugar skull through the window before the police discover her snooping A couple of staff members have left the campaign recently and Eve is determined to find out why. This leads her into the world of the successful Latino businessman, especially that of the Aguilar family who own a stadium in which famous Mexican musicians play concerts weekly. SUGAR SKULL is a very skilfully-researched and written book. Hamilton must be a very good reporter if this book is any indication of her skills. We are at the squat, and the mansion and the concert venue, but I felt no sympathy for any of the characters They are all flawed, and I probably wouldn't care to become friends with any of them. I did like SUGAR SKULL better than JASMINE TRADE but until Hamilton starts writing with more empathy for her characters, I would have to give her books a qualified 'read this one.'
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, February 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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