Suspicion of Betrayal

Even the accomplished Barbara Rosenblat has trouble generating excitement for over two-thirds of this mystery about a romantically confused lawyer who is receiving threatening messages. Rosenblat effectively depicts various players in this drama brilliantly, unfalteringly giving us a variety of accents, sexes, and ages. But legal procedures, shopping scenes, and even the romance slow the story down. However, the concluding chapters are thrilling, and the narration highlights the long-awaited suspense. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

March 29, 1999
Miami lawyer Gail Connor (Suspicion of Deceit), 34, is tough and aggressive ("the only recourse," she says, "is to be a bigger s.o.b. than the next guy"), and as this gripping, dark story unfolds, it's easy to see why somebody is out to get her. Divorced and in a custody battle with her combative ex-husband for their 10-year-old daughter, Karen, Gail is about to be married to Anthony Quintana, a top criminal lawyer from a powerful Cuban-American family that may have ties to organized crime. Gail is also handling a nasty divorce case for Jamie Sweet, whose husband, Wendell, has shady business dealings that might link Quintana to some illegal businesses in Colombia. Gail begins to get menacing phone calls and her car is vandalized. Then Karen is threatened with a grisly death. Who is responsible? As the threats mount and her law practice threatens to spin out of control, Gail begins to have serious doubts about both her ex-husband and Quintana. With a fine combination of romance, cultural clashes and police procedure, plus some razor-sharp portraits, this story develops into a riveting thriller whose only flaw is that the author may tip her hand a bit too early. Author tour.