Delusion

February 18, 2008
Mistaken identity and a decades-old coverup collide in this underwhelming Southern thriller from Abrahams (Nerve Damage
) set in the wake of a Katrina-like hurricane. Nell Jarreau's eyewitness testimony sent Alvin “Pirate” DuPree to prison for the murder of her then-boyfriend, Johnny Blanton. Twenty years later, Nell is shocked when a mysterious tape surfaces that exonerates DuPree. Warned by her husband, Clay—the lead detective on Johnny's case and now the chief of police of Belle Ville, a New Orleans–like city—to leave the case alone, Nell is haunted by her role in imprisoning an innocent man. When an old reporter friend resurfaces to research the DuPree story, and Nell's daughter, Norah, who is Johnny's biological child, starts behaving oddly, Nell realizes she must uncover Johnny's true killer before her life spins out of control. Guilt or innocence aside, DuPree is a highly unlikable and inarticulate character, while Nell herself is too one-dimensional to carry the dramatic weight of the story. Fans of Abrahams's complex earlier novels will hope for a return to form next time.

Starred review from April 15, 2008
While a young, pregnant graduate student, Nell Jarreau witnessed her boyfriend's murder, helping convict and send the accused, Alvin Dupree, to prison for life. Nell then had her baby, married the lead detective on her case, and built an idyllic life. Fast-forward 20 years, and the incarcerated Dupree has been released from prison because new videotaped evidence suggests he was not at the scene of the crime and could not have shot and killed Nell's boyfriend. Devastated and confused, Nell begins grappling with her "mistake," her daughter's disturbing behavior, her now chief of police husband's outright refusal to investigate the new developments, and other strange events that begin to occur. Abrahams's characters are extremely well rendered and quite fascinating, as are all of the plot's twists and turns. In addition to crafting a captivating and swiftly moving story replete with intriguing characters, the Edgar-nominated Abrahams ("Nerve Damage") provides wonderful locales in both Louisiana and the Caribbean. Highly recommended for mystery/suspense/thriller and general fiction collections.Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., Upper Montclair, NJ

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