Gone, But Not Forgotten

August 30, 1993
Images of gruesome violence pervade this gripping tale of abduction and serial murder. Affluent housewives in Portland, Ore., are disappearing without a trace. In each case the only clue is a black rose and a note reading, ``Gone, but Not Forgotten.'' Upstate New York police detective Nancy Gordon arrives to tell Portland's DA of a similar series of murders she had investigated back East. After implicating powerful local developer Martin Darius in the crimes, Gordon herself disappears. When several mutilated bodies are found at a construction site owned by Darius, police take him into custody. Darius's newly retained attorney, criminal lawyer Betsy Tannenbaum--a zealous advocate of women's rights and a successful defender of battered wives--begins her own search, which leaves her wondering if Darius is a psychotic killer on the loose, or the victim of a government cover-up involving the President's nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Margolin ( The Last Innocent Man ) writes with breakneck pacing and just the right injection of lurid detail to make chills race down readers' spines. If his narrative is a bit choppy and some of the plot twists are telegraphed too clearly, he nonetheless delivers a top-notch whodunit with an explosive and satisfying conclusion. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; major ad/promo; author tour.

July 1, 1993
Four women disappear from Hunter's Point, New York, before the murdered bodies of Sandra Lake and her six-year-old daughter are found. Next to Mrs. Lake are a black rose and a note that reads, "Gone, but not forgotten." Ten years later women are vanishing from Portland, Oregon. In each of their homes is a black rose and a note identical to that found in Hunter's Point. After hearing about the New York case and its possible connection to his, Portland's district attorney, Alan Page, arrests wealthy Martin Darius for the torture and murder of the people whose bodies are found on his property. Meanwhile, Betsy Tannenbaum, a rising star in the legal profession and Darius's lawyer, discovers incriminating evidence against him. Margolin combines the riveting suspense of the traditional thriller with the current legal thriller to create a first-rate novel containing all the best elements of a mystery as well. The pat denouement is the only negative in this thoroughly enticing book. Essential for all fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/93.-- Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio

Copyright 1993 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 1993
Betsy Tannenbaum is a defense attorney of growing reputation in Portland, Oregon. Her specialty is battered wives who've retaliated against their abusive husbands. Local multimillionaire contractor Martin Darius puts Betsy on retainer for crimes he "may" be charged with in the future. Wives of local businessmen are being kidnapped; the only clues are a black rose and a note saying "Gone, But Not Forgotten" left at each scene. A police detective arrives from New York with evidence that Darius is actually Peter Lake, a New York attorney who was a suspect in a series of similar incidents 10 years earlier. Darius admits to Betsy his involvement in the first set of crimes but insists he's being framed for the current Portland kidnappings. Betsy is put in the position of defending an admitted monster who has shown that he prefers to torture his victims before he disembowels them. This is an excellent thriller in the "Silence of the Lambs" mold, but what sets it apart from similar efforts is the use of choice as a plot device. Throughout, good people are forced by circumstance to choose between two evils. How can one live with a decision when the choice is between today's suffering victims versus tomorrow's potential victims? The characters agonize because the results--whatever the choice--are the seeds of nightmares. This topnotch thriller more than lives up to the "Not Forgotten" in its title. Expect the book to generate debate--as well as chills--among its readers. ((Reviewed July 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)