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Title: Presumption of Death by Perri O'Shaughnessy, Laural Merlington ISBN: 1-59086-986-9 Publisher: Brilliance Audio Pub. Date: July, 2003 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.74 (19 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Perfect Summer Sizzler
Comment: Nina Reilly is back! But in PRESUMPTION OF DEATH, she is no longer practicing law in Tahoe; rather she has taken up residence in Carmel Valley with her longtime lover, Paul van Wagoner, P.I. "Living together was a revelation. They weren't kids, and melding their lifestyles didn't come easy." Her son, Bob, is in Europe; her former secretary cum best friend, Sandy Whitefeather, is in Washington on business "... with the federal government at the Bureau of Indian Affairs ..." and Nina is auditioning for the part of Paul's permanent partner.
Things are not quite perfect in the couple's relationship, but they put their personal concerns aside, when Sandy calls them for help. They are needed to identify the charred remains of an alleged arsonist who died in a fire not far from Paul's home. The victim could be Willis a.k.a. Wish, Sandy's son. She tells them that the police have called and informed her that "He went up the Robles Ridge above Carmel Valley Village ... with another boy. His roommates say he didn't come home that night or last night either." But Sandy does not believe he is dead nor does she believe he started the fire that burned fifteen acres.
The couple hurries off to the morgue, and the story heats up from there. The remains are not Willis's. Wish is not dead, but if the body isn't his, then who burned to death in the blaze? The police are convinced that Whitefeather started the fire on the ridge and that he could be responsible for the other arsons that have suddenly erupted in the valley. They arrest him. And Nina finds herself with a client whose innocence she and Paul are determined to prove.
Their work takes them up and down the California coast, but keeps bringing them back to the small neighborhood in the Village called Siesta Court. Nina infiltrates the community and sees cracks in the façade of closeness these people have created for themselves. As the families come together, one by one, each couple's vulnerabilities are exposed.
As Nina and Paul work together on their own investigation, they discover that their personal needs often conflict and that, as with everything in life, compromises must be made. Piece by piece, the couple starts to unravel the intertwined facts and suppositions that appear to make a strong case against Wish. Slowly, and with a logical approach, the two are determined to get their friend out of jail and hopefully find the real killer/arsonist before he strikes again. And both of them commit themselves to building a life together.
PRESUMPTION OF DEATH is Perri O'Shaughnessy's ninth Nina O'Reilly courtroom thriller. They (yes they, sisters Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy) have a track record that is hard to beat. Their readers have come to expect a terrific plot inundated with exciting twists and turns and appreciate how the O'Shaughnessy sisters manage to humanize their ensemble of regulars. Over the years, fans have watched Nina and her sidekicks grow into fully realized characters who are a delight to solve a whodunit with. This book is a winner and a perfect summer sizzler. Enjoy
Rating: 3
Summary: A disappointing entry in the series.
Comment: Attorney Nina Reilly returns to where she began her career, Carmel Valley, but a warm welcome she does not receive, instead she receives news that Wish, the son of her former assistant Sandy, has been arrested.
A series of suspicious fires have raged through the valley, and the latest fire has left a young man dead and Wish as the primary suspect.
Nina knows Wish is not an arsonist, or a killer, but a few questions bother her... why was Wish in the forest, why did his friend end up dead, and why is there a witness saying they saw Wish?
As the answers to these questions begin to surface, Nina finds a dark conspiracy running through the peaceful valley, and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence her.
'Presumption Of Death' is not the best entry in the Nina Reilly series, it plods along, rather slowly, telling the tale of a town covered in secrets, but where the novel should have been interesting, it was confusing, and boring with too many characters, and the overlapping storylines of Nina's relationship, and Native American heritage.
I was surprised at how disappointing this novel was because bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy (the pen name for two sisters) has previously written great novels in this thrilling series. While not overly terrible, 'Presumption Of Death' is not that good, and does not contain the page-turning elements, or the interesting plot-line of the earlier novels.
Nick Gonnella
Rating: 5
Summary: This Reader Loved It
Comment: I am so surprised to read the negative reviews of this book, because to my mind, the O'Shaugnessy sisters, having fallen into quite a slump, thoroughly redeemed themselveds with "Presumption of Death."
I found Nina Reilly's new venue (or old, depending on how much one has followed this character through the series) and new circumstances to be fascinating--I felt that a whole new burst of life had been injected into the series. Not only did I not find it boring, I zipped through the book in record time.
Other reviewers have described the plot in detail...ominous forest fires, obviously the result of arson, are decimating the forests around the Carmel area--and young Wish Whitefeather, whom we have followed through all the books and brought to young adulthood, is arrested for setting the fires, with one count of murder to boot. It is up to Nina, who wanted nothing more than to take a hiatus from her career and explore her personal relationship with her lover and PI partner Paul, to take the case and save Wish from almost certain conviction.
As Paul and Nina struggle to find a center to their relationship and to solve the increasingly thorny mystery of who really set the fires and why, a whole subcast of characters is explored. The end was sufficient enough for this reviewer to be on tenterhooks for the next book. I know this is not a popular point of view among other reviewers, and again, I don't know why. My reaction to this book was wholly positive, and I would definitely urge those who follow the series to read it. For those who have not been Nina Reilly fans in the past, my view is that this will turn the tide.
Enough said!
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Title: Blow Fly: A Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell ISBN: 0399150897 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 13 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Split Second by David Baldacci ISBN: 0446530891 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Exit Wounds : A Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance ISBN: 0380977311 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 22 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Unfit to Practice by Perri O'Shaughnessy ISBN: 0440236061 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Second Chair: A Novel by John T. Lescroart ISBN: 0525947752 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 26 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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