Dreams of the Dead

May 30, 2011
O'Shaughnessy's suspenseful 13th Nina Reilly novel (after Show No Fear) revisits one of the most painful episodes in the Lake Tahoe attorney's life. Philip Strong arrives one day at Nina's office with some disturbing news related to his son Jim. Two years earlier, Jim murdered his wife after finding out that she had had an affair with Philip; Jim also killed Nina's husband, then vanished and was believed dead. Philip has now managed to line up a buyer for his struggling family lodge business, but at the 11th hour, an affidavit was filed to block the saleâby Jim, who's apparently alive and well in Brazil. Philip wants Nina to prove the affidavit is a fraud. Suspecting the signature on the document is phony, Nina maneuvers to buy her client time so that she can investigate the matter. Two brutal murders possibly related to the Strong family up the ante. This solid page-turner packs more than one surprise.

Two sisters, Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy, have collaborated to create a series of legal thrillers featuring Lake Tahoe attorney Nina Reilly. In the thirteenth mystery in the series, Nina is once again entangled in the machinations of the dysfunctional Strong family. Soap opera star January LaVoy narrates this story of fraud, murder, and danger in a natural, informal style that fits in with the western mountain setting. LaVoy's lovers, murderers, and detectives all have distinct voices, and she conveys the emotions of each character as events transpire. We hear a story that moves forward logically and cleverly, with characters that sound fully plausible. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

October 15, 2011

When a long-presumed-dead son files legal papers to stall the sale of his father's ski resort, lone wolf attorney Nina Reilly is retained to determine whether it's a scam. Nina dreads this case and not just because the missing son murdered her husband--she secretly knows he was killed by her lover and buried deep in the Lake Tahoe forests. Although this 13th installment in the series featuring smart, scrappy, and stilettoed Reilly continues the story line of the series' fifth outing, Acts of Malice, it recaps enough background to stand alone. From the first chapter it drips with ominous mystery, a mood maintained by reader January LaVoy, who slips seamlessly between male/female and heroine/villain without distracting from the action or dropping spoilers. Fans of legal thrillers and mysteries should find this audiobook gripping.--Judith Robinson, Dept. of Lib. & Information Studies, Univ. at Buffalo

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