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DONE GONE WRONG
by Cathy Pickens
St Martin's Minotaur, November 2005
288 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0312343094


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Avery Andrews was fired from her job as a pharmaceutical defense attorney after she lost her patience with the lies one of her witnesses was telling and she blew up at him during a trial. She went back home in disgrace but now after a few months she is back in Charleston to help her fellow attorney sue a large pharmaceutical company whose antidepressant's use is being blamed for a man shooting his fellow workers.

Avery's feeling unbalanced to be on the opposite side during this trial. She accepts a dinner invitation from her brother's old friend. He's a medical researcher and doctor who says he needs some advice and it's urgent. But he stands her up and Avery is very annoyed. The next day she finds out that he was killed in a strange car accident just at the time she was waiting for him. Because of this guilt, when his grieving parents calls and begs her to look into what caused their sons death, she agrees.

Before long Avery is almost killed in the same kind of car accident, but this time she survives to tell the police that it was done on purpose by two men. But why is anyone trying to kill her? She needs to find out right away.

When the dead man's girlfriend gives Avery his secret research journal, it's not easily understood because he wrote it in medical jargon and abbreviations. Slowly she comes to understand that the book is about the results of medical research on a new drug, and that the company involved is related to her ongoing trial. Then when a young woman involved in the research goes missing, Avery's emotions take over and she steps up her involvement putting her in more danger and increasing the pace of the investigation.

Charleston, NC and Avery's upbringing as a Southern girl shine through as an important element in this book. The readers learn a lot about Charleston and its history and the Southern way of looking at things. We also get to learn a lot about the research, extensive testing, and cost that need to happen before any new drug is allowed by the government to be sold to the public. Amazingly, author Cathy Pickens managed to do this in a fascinating way.

Cathy Pickens has created an intelligent and likeable character in Avery Andrews. She's a thinking woman, bright and brave but not at all a superwoman, she has her true to life shortcomings. She even has a few slow moments when the readers are one step in front of her, but because she's written so well, with well-rounded emotions and an ability to relate to people, the readers can more than forgive her any faults. Overall, the mystery portion of the book is extremely well put together. It's a solid mystery with a very satisfying ending.

I recommend DONE GONE WRONG. It's well crafted and an exceptional read. Don't miss it!

Reviewed by Sharon Katz, December 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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