Let Me Call You Sweetheart

May 1, 1995
The latest from the Clark suspense factory has a spunky New Jersey prosecutor, Kerry McGrath, as its heroine in danger. Kerry has taken an interest in a 10-year-old murder case, in which Skip Reardon had been found guilty of slaying his beautiful wife, Suzanne, and has since been pleading his innocence from his jail cell. When Kerry's small daughter, Robin, goes to a New York plastic surgeon after a car crash, it is apparent that Dr. Smith, who was Suzanne's father, is weird. He seems to be fashioning the faces of young women to resemble his dead daughter--and it was his testimony that sent Skip to jail. Kerry's interest in the case (and her parallel interest in Skip's good-guy lawyer) may harm her chances of a judgeship, and it also draws the ominous attention of another possible suspect, James Weeks, a wealthy real-estate magnate with rumored mob connections. Then there's elegant, tasteful art burglar Jason Arnott, who had also known Suzanne.... As usual, Clark's plot, unfolded in dozens of short chapters, is convoluted, full of red herrings and finally wrapped up with a villain out of left field. The writing is crisp but colorless, characterization minimal, atmosphere nonexistent; but the cozy evocation of a deserving damsel in distress who attains a happy ending seems never to disappoint her legions of fans. One million first printing; major ad/promo; Literary Guild selection; author tour.

Re-opening an old murder case is one thing, but direct threats scaring your child are another. Prosecutor Kerry McGrath won't give up, however, even when the clues point close to home. Narrator C.J. Critt combines well-differentiated characters with good pacing to transform a midnight page-turner into a driveway tape-flipper. Every one of the many and varied characters speaks with his or her own voice. Critt uses minimal touches of regional accents, relying instead on pitch and tone to differentiate the players. Whiles children are always a narrating challenge, the child who appears throughout this story sounds like a real person. Her trembling voice makes the listener want to give her a hug when times turn tough. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine