Liberty or Death

November 11, 2002
Patrick Henry would be proud to have his famous words used in the title of such a well-crafted, sincere book, the sixth in the Thea Kozak series (Chosen for Death, etc.). Private school consultant Thea, newly pregnant, faces perhaps the biggest crisis of her career on her wedding day—when the police inform her that a militia group has kidnapped the groom, longtime beau State Trooper Andre Lemieux, and is demanding that one of its members be released from jail. Thea's first reaction is panic, but soon she calms down enough to ask what she can do to help. The cops don't want her interfering, but they know her stubborn streak won't be placated so they enlist her aid. She assumes the character of Dora McCusick, who's supposed to be on the run from an abusive husband, and goes to Merchantville, Maine, to become a police spy. Thea/Dora gets a job waitressing at Mother Theresa's Restaurant, where she's supposed to be a "fly on the wall" and simply listen for tidbits of militia information while waiting tables. But as those who have read other books in this series know, she'll cross that line and make some members of the local militia suspicious. True-to-life dialogue and realistic characterization drive this novel of heartbreak and reward. It will please old Thea fans and make plenty of new ones. (Jan. 8)Forecast:Though it's been a few years since the last in the series,
Death in Paradise (1998), blurbs from Laura Lippman, William G. Tapply and S.J. Rozan, plus the author's status as the 2003 national president of Sisters in Crime, should ensure sales comparable to those for previous titles.