A Wrongful Death (A Barbara Holloway Novel, 4)

by Kate Wilhelm

Book Overview

Who knew that being a Good Samaritan would lead Barbara Holloway to face her biggest challenge ever: being named prime suspect in a high-profile kidnapping? The peace and quiet of Barbara's retreat on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778325679
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: MIRA
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.6" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Riveting but improbable

Lawyer Barbara Holloway is on a retreat after her personal life takes a complicated turn. Little did she know that the peace and serenity of her surroundings on the Oregon coast is an illusion. Barbara discovered the abused and battered body of a young woman along with they woman's frightened young son. By the time Barbara gets back to the scene with help the woman and boy are gone. There are many conflicting stories as to who would want to harm the woman hiding in the woods. People jump to the conclusion that Barbara was helping her escape and before long she is immersed in a murder investigation. I've always enjoyed the characters of Barbara Holloway and her father Frank. They have such an endearing father/daughter relationship that I feel drawn in. I was really hooked on this story from page one even though there are several eye-rolling moments. For instance, wouldn't a motive be good if someone were to be accused of a murder, and the almost untouchable power of some of the characters was a little over-the-top. The villains were more caricatures than real people, but for all the faults, I read the book in one afternoon. So even though much of this story is unbelievable, it's still a good read.

Another fast paced blockbusting best seller!!!

Boyfriend Darren proposes marriage and Barbara is on soul search solo vacation where she run in to a mother and son who disappeared. There is an ex-husband, a family business, patent stealing and a billion-dollar company sell. The woman shows up in Barbara's town and gets shot to death or does she? The boy is missing and the ex-family is running crazy. Barbara, with the help of dear ole Dad & Baily solve this tangle with all of its twist and turns to save the day. Excellent story and the some of the best character ever.

Back on track!

Barbara Holloway has always been one of my favorite characters. I've admired how the author gives her command of a courtroom (my husband was an attorney) and endows her with sharp. agile thought processes. I have read every entry in this really fascinating series, and some of them have been great, some of them just almost-great. Without a doubt, this is one of the author's very best. The plot is unusual, the favorite characters are all there and firing on all cylinders and the writing is top-notch. Ms. Wilhelm could give me one of these wonderful mysteries every week and then maybe I'd be happy. One caveat: Barbara has to make up her mind about her boyfriend. After a while you tend to want to shake her and give her the backbone to take a chance on marrying someone, living with someone and being forced to just solve day-to-day problems like everyone else. Wake up, Barbara. Trust your boyfriend enough, give him credit enough, to be willing to work at it WITH you. I really liked this book and have no problem recommending it to anyone.

fresh fast-paced mystery

When her boyfriend proposes, DA Barbara Holloway wants to put him off as she is not ready to get married at least at this time. Thus she flees to a remote cabin to have some time to herself. While walking the beach, a young boy asks Barbara to help his nearby injured mother. He takes her to his mom, who lies unconscious from a severe beating. Barbara runs off to get help, but by the time she returns the two have vanished. She learns the missing pair is Elizabeth and Jason Kurtz; whose prominent family accuses her of abetting kidnappers. However, Barbara knows something is not right with the scenario so with the help of her father they search for the Kurtz duo. They succeed and Elizabeth agrees to meet with her. Heading to Eugene, Oregon, Barbara realizes that Elizabeth is fleeing her affluent influential former husband and his family whose illegal activities if surfaced, would destroy a billion-dollar business deal. Barbara finds Elizabeth dead, Jason is missing, the Eugene police suspect her of kidnapping and murder, and the Kurtz family wanting her silenced. In a delightful SLEIGHT OF HAND), Kate Wilhelm takes her heroine out of the courtroom and into a therapist's office; thus providing a fresh fast-paced mystery filled with twists, red herrings, and plenty of excitement. Dedicated as ever even though this is a cove and not a court, Barbara learns the hard way how dangerous it is to be a Good Samaritan as the action-packed tale takes off from the moment that Jason tells Barbara his mother is hurt and never slows down until the DA seeks help. Fans will appreciate Holloway's latest adventures though not a legal thriller like the previous novels in this series, Harriet Klausner