Cheating at Solitaire

Starred review from January 14, 2008
At the start of Haddam's stellar 22nd Gregor Demarkian whodunit (after 2007's Glass Houses
), Demarkian is finally about to marry his longtime significant other, Bennis Hannaford. When the extensive wedding preparations take their toll, the detective welcomes the chance to leave his native Philadelphia and investigate a high-profile crime on the Martha's Vineyard–like island of Margaret's Harbor, where Arrow Normand, a Britney Spears–like pop icon, and her current boyfriend, Mark Anderman, had been filming a movie. During a raging nor'easter, Anderman was shot to death and Normand later arrested as the prime suspect. Plunged into the world of superficial celebrities, the traditional Demarkian struggles to identify the motive behind the murder as well as solve the bizarre mutilation of a local photojournalist and yet another killing. Haddam provides a completely fair and logical solution, even if it's not her twistiest, and to her credit, she examines the shallow lives of Normand and her crowd with some sympathy.

Starred review from March 1, 2008
When the outrageous behavior of a movie crew filming on Margaret's Harbor (a fictionalized Martha's Vineyard) results in the death of a crew member, the island's one-person police department requests the assistance of former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian. Moving slowly through the landscape of her story, Haddam turns the island and its ambiance into a vividly visual experience for readers. Brilliantly introspective, intellectual ruminations and multiple narratorswho fully convey the craziness of the paparazzi and the cutthroat attitudes of those with powerintersperse with Haddam's own unique and frequently unexpected conclusions. Haddam is at her best in this 23rd entry in the series (after "Glass Houses"), presenting a glimpse into the celebrity world readers will not easily forget. Highly recommended. Haddam lives in Connecticut.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2008
By the time a mystery series reaches its twenty-second installment, were usually satisfied if the characters havent become tiresome and the stories arent identical to one another. On the other hand, the Gregor Demarkian series keeps getting better, each novel just a little more dramatic, more thought provoking, and more entertaining than the last. In this installment, a host of young celebritiesa rich wastrel and her equally pointless and talentless friendshave descended upon a small Massachusetts town to film a movie. When one of the celebs turns up at a locals house, bloody and incoherent, and the celebs boyfriend is found murdered, Gregor, the former FBI agent who keeps busy solving crimes in his spare time, is asked to take a look at the evidence. Naturally, he finds a case that is more complex, and more dangerous, than he counted on. The nifty thing about the Demarkian novels is that not only are they first-rate mysteries, theyre also commentaries on various meaty themes, from religion to racism to, in this case, the fleeting nature of celebrity. Haddam clearly has fun writing these novels, which is probably why we have so much fun reading them. Its about time she gets the A-list status she so richly deserves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)