A Wrongful Death

Product Description After finding a file with incriminating material, Elizabeth Kurtz takes her small son and flees her ex-husband and his mother. Although the wealthy family employs a detective agency to find her, she manages to elude them. Barbara Holloway is seeking seclusion as she tries to bring order to her private life and her role as a defense attorney. She finds refuge in an isolated cabin on the Oregon coast. When Elizabeth's housemate comes under suspicion of killing Elizabeth, Barbara comes to her aid. Barbara is accused of obstruction of justice, making misleading and false statements to investigators, and faces possible disbarment and prison. She gradually realizes the importance of the secret papers and her life is now at risk as she takes on a killer. From Publishers Weekly In Wilhelm's latest Barbara Holloway mystery, the Oregon-based attorney takes a time-out in a remote cabin in California, where she comes upon and aids an injured Elizabeth Kurtz, who has fled there after finding dangerous information about her ex-husband's family business. The information gets her killed, and because no good deed goes unpunished in tales of murder, Barbara finds herself a suspect. MacDuffie, who has taken over narrating this series from Anna Fields, captures Barbara's range of emotions in a thoughtful performance. Even more impressive is the work she puts into defining the minor characters, from the shrill and fearful Elizabeth, to the neutral tone of the therapist Barbara consults about her fears of commitment. The male characters are equally well conceived, including Elizabeth's ex-husband, who can hiss with menace or be equally threatening when his demeanor is calm and controlled. Even the cabin owner and local California sheriff get their own twangy and crusty accents. MacDuffie's riveting performance is commendable but this pedestrian and insider mystery will baffle newcomers to the series. Simultaneous release with the Mira hardcover (Reviews, July 9). Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "One of the masters of psychological fiction in America." --San Francisco Chronicle About the Author KATE WILHELM is the best-selling author of dozens of novels and short-story collections. Among her novels is the science-fiction classic Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. Her other works include the popular Barbara Holloway courtroom thrillers. Born in Ohio, she now lives in Eugene, Oregon. From AudioFile In the ninth Barbara Holloway suspense, DA Holloway retreats to a remote coastal cabin to avoid making a life-altering decision. There she encounters a seriously injured woman and her small son. When she goes for help, the two disappear. Carrington MacDuffie turns in a splendid performance as Holloway and the missing woman and child, Elizabeth and Jason Kurtz, who are on the run from a vicious family cabal. MacDuffies male characters are exceptional, particularly Holloways charming father, Frank. Her rich, cultured voice makes secondary characters multidimensional, and, when called for, her accents are precise and never overdone. Kate Wilhelms complex plot is filled with red herrings and surprises, and Carrington MacDuffies finesse makes this an audiobook not to be missed. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine