|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
It's been a while since we've seen Maggie MacGowen. In the last book, IN THE GUISE OF MERCY, MacGowen, a documentary filmmaker married to a Los Angeles cop, goes through stunning changes (it's hard to review this book without giving away some of what happened in that one.) In THE PARAMOUR'S DAUGHTER, it's eight months later, and Maggie's getting ready to visit her mother in Berkeley. Just outside a store, Maggie's confronted by a woman who insists Maggie deal with her, asking "Marguerite" if she recognizes her. Maggie, understandably afraid, gets away from this seemingly distraught stranger. Only a couple days later, however, she learns that the woman has died in a hit-and-run accident. This is the beginning of a complex story. It takes Maggie to Normandy where she meets an entirely new family, one she never knew she had. It's a story of relationships and learning that parents are fallible and that of course, what you knew of your parents' lives is not all there is to know. It's a tale of law and responsibility, love and deception. Wendy Hornsby tends to write complicated plots from various points of view; it suits Maggie's character , as someone who interviews lots of people for a documentary. I still did find the details of this story a little dizzying, and was a little confused by all the characters. I feel for Maggie and her daughter Casey as there's a lot to deal with in a short time, meeting people who seem to know you, and yet are total strangers. Hornsby's deft touch with characters both charming and smarmy, likable and nasty makes THE PARAMOUR'S DAUGHTER work. If I had issues with Maggie leaving California on this journey, they're my issues. Authors get to take characters where they want to, and cause change and disruption in their lives. That's what makes a series worth reading. And if I found some of the sub-plots and minor characters just a bit much to keep track of, again, it's likely me, the reader, and not the writer's problem. Normandy is a cool place to visit, Maggie is one of my favorite characters in crime fiction. This is an interesting chapter in her life. § Andi Shechter, who has twice has chaired mystery conventions, has an ancient MA in Criminal Justice and is proud to have appeared in a mystery as a New York runway model.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, November 2010
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
