June 2003
Summer Reading
For a little
beach reading or hammock swinging let’s consider a new bundle of tales
from the distaff side. As that Mistress of Murder, Mary Higgins Clark
once said :”Women dislike writing violence. Somehow the moon passes over
a cloud when violence is needed; much more scary to describe it off stage—leaving
the details to the reader’s imagination.”
Clark’s new book from Simon&Schuster $25) is “The Second Time Around”
hit the best seller list the week it was published. It heroine, Carley
De Carlo, in her mid-thirties, is a columnist for the Wall Street Weekly.
She is assigned to write a cover story on Nicholas Spencer, head of Gen-Stone,
a medical research company developing an anti-cancer vaccine. When Spencer’s
plane crashes en route to a business meeting in Puerto Rico his body is
not found. Then comes the news that he has swindled millions of dollars
from the company and that the vaccine, promoted as a cancer cure, is worthless,
dashing the hopes of both cancer sufferers and investors in Gen-stone.
There are no great surprises in this story, but as always with Clark it
is a satisfying read. Think ImClone as you are reading! In honor of Clark’s
25 years with Simon&Schuster, the publishing firm two years ago inaugurated
an annual award to an author of a novel that shares the characteristics
of Clark’s books: a strong, energetic heroine; a lack of violence and
gore and an upbeat ending. The annual $1000 prize has generated interest
among writers far beyond its monetary value. Indeed, the Clark award is
almost as important among new and mid-list writers as the MWA Edgars themselves.
Two finalists for the Clark award given in May as part of the Edgar scene:
Lora Van Wormer and her heroine, Sally Harrington, assistant producer
to anchor Alexandra Waring and who comes complete with dog and a turbulent
love life in “The Bad Witness” (Mira Books, $23.95) Winner of the Clark
award and certainly worthy of a look: Rose Connors’ “Absolute Certainty”
from Scribner’s.
Lisa Scottoline,
whose law office full of disparate female types is a hoot, and much more
appears now with Philadelphia lawyer Bennie Benedetta, head of the group,
first loses her credit cards and then her dignity as reports(from a friendly
judge) say Bennie’s been seen around Philly in bars and had been asked
to leave one of them the evening before. Turns out to be Bennie’s doppelganger,
a twin separated at birth from Bennie and now on the scene to make Bennie’s
life hell. Twisty plot, intriguing characters from Edgar award winner
Scottoline in “Dead Ringer.” (Harper Collins, $23.95).
Bailey Weggins, true crime writer for GlossMagazine was an instant
success when introduced by Kate White last summer. White is the editor
in chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine whose interest in mysteries began
back in herNancy Drew days. This summer’s KateWhite saga takes Bailey
to a spa in upstate New York in “A Body to Die For” (Warner Books; $24.95)
where a massage therapist’s body is discovered wrapped in mylar, used
in some spa treatments.
Maxi Poole is a thirty-two year old, tall angular outdoor-girl fresh highly
rated anchor woman on Los Angeles Channel Six in Burbank. Her producer,
Wendy Harris, is thirty, diminutive with a mane of willful red hair and
freckles. Together the two dole out diet pills and supplements to each
other, when the news comes over the wire that business woman Gillian Rose
lies dead in a fabulous glass and steel penthouse in downtown L. A. Deader
than yesterday’s sound bite is Gillian, and Maxi and Wendy go onred alert
to discover who—and why. (Mysterious Press $24.95).
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