From Publishers Weekly
Jo Beckett investigates a national security threat in Edgar-winner Gardiner's absorbing third thriller to feature the San Francisco forensic psychiatrist (after The Memory Collector). When troubled country singer Tasia McFarland—who happens to be the U.S. president's ex-wife—dies of a gunshot wound to the neck during a stunt that goes awry at a huge outdoor concert, Jo's SFPD friend, Lt. Amy Tang, asks Jo to help determine whether Tasia, who fired a Colt .45 automatic as part of the stunt, shot herself or was shot by an assassin. The ballistics are inconclusive. As Jo looks into the sordid details of Tasia's life, an antigovernment extremist, Tom Paine, who runs a conspiracy-fueled Web site called Tree of Liberty, accuses people in the government—in particular, President Robert McFarland—of orchestrating Tasia's death and demands punishment for those responsible. Despite the broad scope of Jo's inquiry, Gardiner mostly manages to keep the far-reaching plot on course. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From
Starred Review Tasia McFarland may be a has-been country singer, but her status as ex-wife of the current president keeps her in the public eye. At the opening of Gardiner’s third mystery to feature San Francisco forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett (after The Memory Collector, 2009), McFarland is killed when a stunt at one of her concerts goes terribly awry. Speculation about her death abounds, given the singer’s well-publicized bouts with bipolar mania. Was her tragic end just a grandiose—and very public—suicide, or had she really been in mortal danger as one of her recent songs claimed? Beckett takes the case, and when probing puts her in the path of a stalker, she becomes convinced that the threats to Tasia were real. She hopes Ace Chennault, ghostwriter of Tasia’s forthcoming biography, can shed some light. (He claims to have explosive revelations about Tasia’s affair with fellow country singer Searle Lecroix but refuses to divulge them.) The sharp investigator forges ahead, making herself the target of right-wing radicals with assassination on their minds. Breathless suspense, slick plotting, and a cast of compelling characters make this a solid addition to Edgar winner Gardiner’s dossier of superlative thrillers with appeal both for pure suspense fans and those who favor well-delineated characters. --Allison Block