Ashes, Ashes

May 19, 2014
Atkins’s middling third cozy featuring Lil Campbell and Ada Strauss (after 2012’s Best Place to Die) finds the Grenville, Conn., couple rushing headlong into the unreal world of reality TV. Producer Barry Stromstein is facing an ultimatum from his demanding boss, talk show host and media mogul Lenore Parks, to produce new ideas. Then, he has a brainstorm: “Antiques Roadshow meets The Hunger Games on the set of Gilmore Girls.” During a conference call with Lil in connection with her antique column, “Cash or Trash,” he is also charmed by Ada, whom he thinks has star potential. Chaos ensues at Lenore’s company after she’s shot to death in her dressing room, with Barry seeing professional salvation in getting Final Reckoning, which will feature Ada hosting estate sales of the recently departed, on the air. Ada and Lil, however, are more interested in finding Lenore’s killer. Atkins scores some good points off reality TV and celebrity-fueled empires in this otherwise tepid whodunit. Agent: Al Zuckerman, Writers House.

September 1, 2008
This lackluster thriller from Atkins (The Cadaver's Ball) strains reader credulity to the breaking point. Attractive forensic psychiatrist Barrett Conyors receives an emergency call on the way to her Manhattan gynecologist to terminate the pregnancy caused by the rapist who killed her husband. She must act immediately to try to block a judge's decision to transfer four extremely dangerous murderers from a maximum security prison in Stormville, N.Y., to a less secure facility in Croton. When the transfer goes through, Richard Glash, the deadliest of the inmates, escapes and gets his hands on some bubonic plague. In addition, Glash takes two hostages, Conyors and Carla Phelps, her legal adversary (and a former patient she'd diagnosed as bipolar), who desperately try to stop his plan to unleash the Black Death on New York City. Unconvincing actions sequences undercut the suspense.

October 6, 2008
This lackluster thriller from Atkins (The Cadaver's Ball) strains reader credulity to the breaking point. Attractive forensic psychiatrist Barrett Conyors receives an emergency call on the way to her Manhattan gynecologist to terminate the pregnancy caused by the rapist who killed her husband. She must act immediately to try to block a judge's decision to transfer four extremely dangerous murderers from a maximum security prison in Stormville, N.Y., to a less secure facility in Croton. When the transfer goes through, Richard Glash, the deadliest of the inmates, escapes and gets his hands on some bubonic plague. In addition, Glash takes two hostages, Conyors and Carla Phelps, her legal adversary (and a former patient she'd diagnosed as bipolar), who desperately try to stop his plan to unleash the Black Death on New York City. Unconvincing actions sequences undercut the suspense.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2008
Manhattan forensic psychiatrist Barratt Conyers is facing plenty of challenges: her husband has been murdered, shes pregnant after being raped by the man who killed her husband, and shes trying to prevent her longtime nemesis, psychopath Richard Glash, from being transferred from his maximum security prison cell to the local mental hospital, from which he could easily escape. Do-gooder attorney Carla Phelps is opposing Barrattshe believes its a violation of Glashs civil rights to keep him in prison when hes obviously suffering from mental illness. But Carlas tune changes when Glash makes a daring escape during his transfer from prison and takes both Carla and Barratt hostage. As Barratts on-again, off-again boyfriend, police detective Ed Hobbs, races to rescue both women, Glash reveals his bizarre and cunning plana plan that will wreak havoc on the entire population of Manhattan. Taut, mind-blowing suspense, a thoroughly evil protagonist, and unexpected twists throughout make this a genuinely gripping thrillergreat reading for Chelsea Cain fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)