Rating: 
Summary: exciting romantic mystery
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: I'm not a fan...
Review: of this particular episode in the ongoing series of Connor/Quintana mysteries by Barbara Parker. True to form, Parker keeps the action localized to Florida -- this time by setting her crime/investigation in the Florida Keys. I'm not sure why Anthony and Gail thought they'd be able to have a romantic getaway given what Anthony knew about his prospective client; the stepson of a wealthy hotel owner that Anthony has defended before. This time, the client, Billy Fadden, has graduated from suspected arson to murder. There isn't a lot of evidence against Billy, but he has confessed to the murder of a young lady he'd been romantically involved with. Parker tries to keep the reader guessing with a variety of potential suspects, but too many of them have "over the top" personalities. There's an aging film star (Sunset Boulevard) holed up in a decrepit mansion, a strange and moody handyman, the sister of the hotel owner - who fantasizes a love life with a local real estate lawyer (stalking him), etc., etc. There's a storm in the keys, and the result is that we get a lot of descriptions of going back and forth from the hotel to the various places that Anthony & Gail are investigating the crime (I guess that's to get a sense of how difficult it can be to get around in the Keys). We also get the ongoing debate about whether Gail and Anthony will marry -- this time they both fret endlessly about getting the marriage license. As she did in her last book, Parker seems to be taking the tack of letting Gail's investigative talents outweigh Anthony's own, because of his tendency to jump to conclusions, and minimize small clues. This is one more schism she is building in the relationship; not sure it is a good one. All in all, getting through the book was kind of a labor of love; even the climax that unmasks the identity of the real killer was way over the top for me. I enjoy the series and will continue with it, but this was definitely a setback in terms of how far afield Parker was willing to go to get a change of pace. Anthony and Gail belong in courtrooms, or with legal puzzles that are more realistic to the types of law they practice.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not a fan...
Review: of this particular episode in the ongoing series of Connor/Quintana mysteries by Barbara Parker. True to form, Parker keeps the action localized to Florida -- this time by setting her crime/investigation in the Florida Keys. I'm not sure why Anthony and Gail thought they'd be able to have a romantic getaway given what Anthony knew about his prospective client; the stepson of a wealthy hotel owner that Anthony has defended before. This time, the client, Billy Fadden, has graduated from suspected arson to murder. There isn't a lot of evidence against Billy, but he has confessed to the murder of a young lady he'd been romantically involved with. Parker tries to keep the reader guessing with a variety of potential suspects, but too many of them have "over the top" personalities. There's an aging film star (Sunset Boulevard) holed up in a decrepit mansion, a strange and moody handyman, the sister of the hotel owner - who fantasizes a love life with a local real estate lawyer (stalking him), etc., etc. There's a storm in the keys, and the result is that we get a lot of descriptions of going back and forth from the hotel to the various places that Anthony & Gail are investigating the crime (I guess that's to get a sense of how difficult it can be to get around in the Keys). We also get the ongoing debate about whether Gail and Anthony will marry -- this time they both fret endlessly about getting the marriage license. As she did in her last book, Parker seems to be taking the tack of letting Gail's investigative talents outweigh Anthony's own, because of his tendency to jump to conclusions, and minimize small clues. This is one more schism she is building in the relationship; not sure it is a good one. All in all, getting through the book was kind of a labor of love; even the climax that unmasks the identity of the real killer was way over the top for me. I enjoy the series and will continue with it, but this was definitely a setback in terms of how far afield Parker was willing to go to get a change of pace. Anthony and Gail belong in courtrooms, or with legal puzzles that are more realistic to the types of law they practice.
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