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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Weir, C. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
On the heels of a severe thunderstorm, Governor Jack Garrett comes to Hampstead with his friend and constant companion Wakely Fromm. Twenty years ago they battled a forest fire that left Wakely confined to a wheelchair and made Jack a hero. Now Jack is battling for his party's nomination as presidential candidate.
Trouble brews for the campaign, however, when the business card of Sean Donovan, one of the campaign workers, and Susan's cousin, turns up at a homicide scene. Police Chief Susan Wren's investigation reveals evidence that points straight to Jack Garrett. Should Susan arrest a sitting governor or Sean Donovan?
Author Notes
Charlene Weir 's first novel, The Winter Widow , won the Malice Domestic Award in 1991. She lives in El Cerrito, CA.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this engaging drama set against a political campaign, the sixth to chronicle the cases of Kansas police chief Susan Wren (after 2001's A Cold Christmas), Weir ably juggles a large cast of characters: Jack Garrett, the governor of Kansas, who's seeking his party's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election; Molly, his ambitious wife; Todd Haviland, his campaign manager; Cassilda Storm, his first love; Wakely Fromm, his oldest and best friend; and scores of other carefully drawn friends and enemies. Sean Donovan, a political writer for a prestigious periodical, thinks there's a story in the governor's relationship with Fromm, who's been in a wheelchair since the two fought a forest fire 20 years earlier. But when Donovan goes to interview Fromm, he finds Fromm dead in his bathroom, shot in the head, apparently by his own hand. Wren has her work cut out for her when suicide proves to be homicide and the evidence implicates Governor Garrett. A big black dog also figures in the plot. The suspense builds to the end of this convoluted mystery, which conveys to readers the agreeable sense that the survivors are going to find happiness. Agent, Meg Ruley. (Nov. 17) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Three grieving women collide during a hero's run for the presidency. Political reporter Sean Donovan, full of Irish charm and whiskey, is in Hampstead, Kansas, covering the campaign of Governor Jack Garrett and reuniting with his recently widowed cousin Susan Wren, the hamlet's chief of police. Equally stricken by depression are two other women, Cass Storm, a former lover of Garrett's, whose husband and daughter died in a car crash last year, and Em Shoals, whose daughter was murdered by an abusive husband years ago when attorney Garrett got him off. As the world turns, Em plans to assassinate Garrett at the nearest whistle stop; Cass gears up for suicide; and Susan tries to solve the murder of poor Gayle Egelhoff, a woman found stuffed in a car trunk, with Sean's business card nearby and 20-year-old ties to the candidate: Both her husband and Garrett were smoke jumpers who survived a forest fire that killed six and put Wakely Fromm, Garrett's best friend, in a wheelchair for life. Garrett's campaign staff tries to insulate him from the damage, but clues inexorably lead back to his inner circle, forcing a long-overdue admission, putting his campaign on hold, and finally releasing some pent-up grief. Enough melancholia to keep Dr. Phil and Oprah in ratings heaven. Like them, Weir (A Cold Christmas, 2001, etc.) will have you wiping at a tear or two and skimming the political nonsense to get back to the hankie brigade. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hampstead, Kansas, Police Chief Susan Wren returns in this exciting adventure, which draws together numerous ancillary characters and subplots that somehow enliven the story rather than bogging it down. The tie that binds them together is Governor Jack Garrett, a handsome politician who hopes to be the Democratic nominee for president. Cass, his former girlfriend, is trying to overcome a severe bout of depression brought on by the sudden death of her husband and child. Jack's wife, Molly, is none too pleased when Jack brings Cass onboard the campaign. Meanwhile, Chief Susan Wren is entertaining her charismatic but devilish journalist cousin, Sean Donovan, who is following Garrett's campaign and promptly gets implicated in a murder. Susan is also pondering her relationships with her top-two male officers: Parkhurst, who likes her too much, and Demarco, who is almost insubordinate. As people connected with the campaign begin turning up dead, the pressure is on Susan to solve the case before her cousin gets arrested. Another first-rate entry in an intriguing series. --Jenny McLarin Copyright 2003 Booklist