|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Detective Claire Morgan receives a call from the station at 5:30. Sylvia Border, a soap opera star, is discovered murdered in a resort swimming pool. Sylvia was staying at the Cedar Bend Lodge and was receiving therapy treatments from Dr Nicholas Black. Black is a high-profile therapist to the stars and personal friend of Sylvia. Black claims his relationship with the star was purely platonic but Morgan has difficulty believing him. Throughout her investigation, Black shows up at odd places in vital moments. Is his attention an attempt to lead her away from the truth or is it a merely hormonal attraction? Is Morgan allowing her personal judgement to interfere with her job or are her instincts sound? Claire is forced to rely on her abilities as a homicide detective to find the killer and bring justice to Sylvia. HEAD TO HEAD does not have strong character development. While Claire is well drawn, her character is inconsistent. She frequently says one thing and immediately does the opposite. For example, certain information discovered at the autopsy is not supposed to leave the room but she then tells Black, who has already shown his willingness to go to the police for publicity. As well as her inconsistency, Claire is so sarcastic that she is caustic. Sarcasm has its place -- and can be very useful in a given situation -- but the amount of bitterness displayed in this book makes Claire hard to like. Some of the ideas, actions and characters in HEAD TO HEAD are stereotypes and cliches. The airhead police dispatcher sharing more information than she should is merely example. The idea of a detective falling for her suspect is another theme that has been used so frequently that it is now commonplace and an expected plot twist. The biggest and most detrimental stereotype in this book is that life for the rich and famous is not always a bed of roses. That underneath the facade lurks more evil and ugliness than your typical community. This idea appears in fiction and non-fiction constantly. This idea is so common that any reader can guess the arguments used by those explaining the difficulties of being rich.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2006
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
