Suspicious Origin : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A deadly fire throws a family into chaos.
Review: Britt Andersen, a cable television news producer in Boston, is the heroine of Patricia MacDonald's latest thriller, "Suspicious Origin." Britt has been estranged from her sister, Greta, for many years. When Britt learns that her sister was killed in a fire, she goes to Vermont to attend Greta's funeral. Britt meets her brother-in-law, Alec, and her eleven-year-old niece, Zoe, for the first time. Only later does Britt learn that the fire was deliberately set, and that, in fact, Greta was murdered.

MacDonald sets up her plot reasonably well, and in Britt, she has created a sympathetic, smart and vulnerable heroine. Although I thought that I had figured out the mystery by the halfway point of the book, it turned out that MacDonald had a few surprises up her sleeve. Unfortunately, the book's weaknesses outweigh its strengths. The dialogue is often wooden and the ending is somewhat contrived. Still, fans of spunky heroines may find "Suspicious Origin" to be a diverting thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Half-Wit Britt, Always in a Snit
Review: I didn't like the protagonist at all. Britt is a whining drone who is a news reporter in Boston. Estranged from her older sister Greta and abandoned by their mother in early childhood, Britt is a lone wolf who keeps everyone away at fang's length.

Things change radically when her brother-in-law informs her that Greta died in a suspicious fire and that his daughter, Zoe 11 wants to see her. Britt flies to their New England state where she meets an eclectic cast of characters.

A couple who is paying a young girl to turn her baby over to them once she delivers. They are an unlikable pair and the girl is rude, nasty and singularly unpleasant.

A young resident who has his own agenda.

The other locals.

Each character might have some insight into the fire that claimed Greta's life and destroyed their home. Only Zoe remains poignantly optimistic; she and her pop were the only likable characters. I like the way he was initially abrupt and dismissive of Britt because I didn't like Britt in the first place.

The ending was a disappointment and very predictable. You could see it coming from early on in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Britt the Twit....
Review: Someone else said Britt the ½ wit and boy do they have it right!

She's supposedly a news producer but doesn't have the brains God gave a goose! She stays at her job mooning over her married boss who she had an affair with. He dumped her for someone younger and then treats her like dirt professionally and personally.

When her sister dies the Brittster rushes to her sister's hometown to save the day. She has been estranged from her sister for well over a decade and has never even seen her niece. That doesn't stop her from trying to take over her niece even though she has no legal right and her Zoe has a father who obviously loves her.

Based on a small amount of circumstantial evidence she decides her brother-in-law is guilty of the fire that killed his wife. She comes up with some convoluted theory as to why he would set a fire with his daughter in the house. She refuses to consider any other information that would refute her theory. She is in fact so pushy that she basically insists he be arrested for the murder by subtly suggesting that the local police force is covering up the crime because her brother-in-law is a well-established citizen of the town. Every time she comes up with a new "theory" or "evidence" she expects everyone to thank her for it, even though her brother-in-law is sitting in jail.

Obviously the reason for her actions is that she felt guilty because she never tried to make things right between her and her sister. However that didn't give her the right to mess up everyone else's life, including her niece's.



Rating:
Summary: I loved it
Review: when I read "Not Guilty" I thought I had read the best book by Ms. MacDonald. That was before I read Suspicious Origin. This book is fantastic. It's got you from the first page. It sure makes you think. I finished it in just a few days and that was only reading a few hours a day. I just didn't want to put it down. It is very easy to get involved with all of the people in this book & it keeps you guessing & when it gets close to the end you can start to figure out who the killer is. Ms. MacDonald is a wonderful author but this is her best book so far.

Rating:
Summary: strong suspense thriller
Review: When Kevin Carmichael wakes up one night, he sees his neighbor's home on fire and he rushes out to try and save them. He manages to save ten-year-old Zoë but is unable to get to her mother Greta who dies of smoke asphyxiation. Luckily, Zoë's father Alec was out of the house at the time so the child has someone to cling to in this tragedy. Alec calls Britt Anderson to tell her that her sister has died. Though the siblings were estranged, Britt races to their side.

When Britt arrives, the surviving father and daughter are staying at a neighbor's home. Zoë takes to her immediately but Alec is cold and rude. When the investigation into the fire shows that arson was involved, Britt begins to gather evidence that shows Alec is the perpetrator. It is only after he is arrested that Brett begins to doubt Alec's guilt. She does her best to prove his innocence, but her efforts nearly gets her killed by somebody who wants Alec found guilty.

Patricia MacDonald, well known for her suspense thrillers, has written a work that rivals the novels of Marry Higgins Clark. The protagonist is a feisty woman who fights for her beliefs and is then not afraid to admit she might have made a big mistake. The story line moves along at such a brisk pace that readers will finish the book in one sitting and then put it on their keeper shelf, because it is too good to give away.

Harriet Klausner