In the 7th installment of the Suspicion series, Gail Connor, a lawyer, is going to spend a few days in a secluded resort in the Florida Keys with Anthony Quintana, her boyfriend (also a lawyer). Her young daughter Karen stays in Miami.
The mother and stepfather of an unbalanced former client have called Quintana to help their son, Billy, who has become the main suspect in the murder of a young woman.
The suspect tries to commit suicide the day of their arrival.
As a tropical storm threatens to isolate the island, Quintana tries to prove his client innocence and maybe solve the murder.
Connor, unable to remain idle, is quickly recruited and her different style brings in new leads. In between interviewing with eccentric witnesses, like former Hollywood actress Joan Sinclair, and fighting for their own life, Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana, talk again about getting married and moving in together.
This report prepared by Lydie Barquet
Dutton, Feb 2003, 24.95, 372 pp.
ISBN 0525946810
Miami lawyers Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana plan to marry in June. They are going to a small island in the Florida Keys to do a little work and relax at the island's luxurious resort the Buttonwood Inn. Before they even get on the boat that will take them there, Anthony learns that his client nineteen-year-old Billy Fadden confessed to killing Sandy McCoy and subsequently tried to commit suicide.
When he regains consciousness Billy doesn't remember calling the police or trying to commit suicide but he does remember seeing big black dogs and a mermaid. Without a confession and due to his mental state, the police can't arrest him but they are looking at him as their number are suspect. Anthony and Gail's stay at the inn becomes more work than play when they try to unravel the secrets being kept on Lindenan Key if they hope to keep Billy out of jail.
Barbara Parker has written an exciting romantic mystery that has a distinctive feel of a gothic novel. The chemistry between Gail and Anthony sizzles even hotter than usual and yet there is a more serene air about them, so they aren't defensive with each other anymore. The mystery is so complex that the audience will never guess who the killer is until the author choose to reveal his identity. The title is the biggest clue to the killer's identity and yet once the killer is revealed, it feels right and logical.
Harriet Klausner
This report prepared by Harriet Klausner
