Inconsistent pace and predictable ending spoil the suspense...

We're not likely to skip a novel by (mama) Clark, but this -- her 21st -- is far from her best. A good start leads into an absolute slug of a middle book, with most of the exciting action reserved for the three-page epilogue. Ironically, there is a reasonable degree of suspense to the plot, but our interest ebbed and waned so severely we might have put this down if we hadn't lined up for the hardback.

The plot revolves around Ellie Cavanaugh, a 30-year-old investigative reporter, fighting unsuccessfully the parole of Rob Westerfield, convicted some 20 years earlier for the murder of Ellie's sister Andrea. Though only seven at the time, Ellie's testimony in court weighed heavily in the guilty verdict. But Rob is being sprung on parole, and his wealthy family is pursuing all means, including illegal ones, to have him retried and acquitted. The rest of the book is basically the war between Rob's antics and Ellie's fact finding, and in the end Andrea's murder plus another one from long ago are all neatly re-solved and tied up with ribbons. In between, Ellie is harassed and followed and injured, etc. yet never succumbs, like virtually all of Clark's leading ladies, no matter the hurdles or the challenges. Some all too convenient helpers bail Ellie out of more than one predicament.

So what we find is not really the recipe for a whopping best seller. A dash of suspense is overwhelmed by plodding story lines, improbable action, implausible developments, and a leading lady who after all is said and done is not that easy to really care about. Clark's innately good story crafting and writing are not enough to make this cake rise and shine.