Five O'Clock Shadow

January 19, 2004
The plot of Slater's gripping follow-up to last year's Flash Flood
moves as fast and as unpredictably as the New Mexico weather, which can go from sun to blizzard in a moment. Newlywed Pauly Caton watches in horror as the hot air balloon holding her husband, Randy McIntyre, crashes into a sand bar in the middle of the Rio Grande. A small, otherwise naked boy wearing Randy's jean jacket flees the gondola, leaving behind two dead men—Randy with a broken neck, the pilot with a bullet through his forehead. When the medical examiner discovers that Randy had had an irreversible vasectomy, Pauly is shattered and confused. The children they both seemingly had looked forward to before their marriage were never a possibility. The more she learns of Randy's secret past, the more Pauly becomes suspicious of everyone around her, even her carnival-queen grandmother with whom she takes refuge in Albuquerque. With her blonde hair, heavy make-up, breast implants and growing list of ex-husbands, Grams stands out in an unusual supporting cast that includes tattooed men and lethal snakes. From the book's devastating opening to its chilling climax, readers will be captivated by Slater's fresh, gutsy heroine. (Feb. 6)

FYI:
Slater is also the author of
Thunderbird (2002) and other titles in her Bill Pecos mystery series.

February 15, 2004
Author of the Ben Pecos series, Slater introduces a new character in the same New Mexico setting. Pauly Caton, recently married to Randy, watches in horror as her husband's hot-air balloon crashes to the ground. As she searches for the mysterious child seen running from the scene, Pauly finds out many things about her late husband--most of them bad, including the revelation that he may have been a pedophile. Pauly's headquarters during the investigation is the Albuquerque home of her flamboyant grandmother, a carnival owner. Among the colorful carnies who populate Grams' estate is a sexy tattooed man to whom Pauly is strongly attracted. Meanwhile, Randy's business partners refuse to take Pauly seriously when she tries to take her husband's place as an active partner on a water-rights project. Slater generates enough suspense to make this a page-turner, and she makes good use of the carny angle, but Pauly remains a somewhat underdeveloped protagonist. If there is to be a series, Pauly has some growing to do.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)