The Step Between
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
No matter how hard she tries to live the quiet life, trouble has a way of grabbing Carole Ann Gibson by the throat -- and this time all her famous intuition and raw courage might not be enough to save her.
In the heartbreaking aftermath of her husband's death, Carole Ann, widely known as "the best damn trial lawyer in D.C.," left her criminal-law practice for what she hoped was a safer, saner life as a partner in her friend Jake's security firm. But when the richest man in Washington, D.C., hires her to find his daughter, she is caught up in a tangle of family relationships in which the stakes are not only money but life itself. Add to that a routine surveillance job that turns up three corpses and the kidnapping of her partner's beloved wife, Grace, and Carole Anne is -- once again -- in over her head in the kind of trouble that launches an all-out attack on her survival skills.
Showcasing her rare talent for mixing the subtlety and complexity of personal relationships with the excitement and suspense of a rapid-fire plot, Penny Mickelbury's third Carole Ann Gibson novel brings something altogether unique and refreshing to the mystery genre. Filled with an unforgettable cast of emotionally authentic characters as ethnically diverse as Washington, D.C., itself; pulse-pounding action; truly surprising twists of plot; and a delightfully clever ending, The Step Between is Mickelbury at her best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her third outing, African-American lawyer-turned-detective Carole Ann Gibson is still recovering from the death of her husband, Al Crandall, who was murdered in One Must Wait, the first novel in the series. Carole Ann and her partner, Jake Graham, a former cop, run a highly technical detective agency specializing in surveillance in Washington, D.C. Wealthy businessman Richard Islington hires Carole Ann to investigate the disappearance of his daughter, Annabelle, a young woman who has been estranged from her mother, Islington's ex-wife, and who has now seemingly deserted her father for some unknown reason. Meanwhile, Jake decides to take the case of OnShore Manufacturing, which has hired him to investigate a large corporation looking to take over the company. The two cases appear straightforward, until Jake's wife, Grace, is abducted and hints arise that Jake's two investigations may be connected. Mickelbury's prose is uneven, with some nail-biting episodes followed by dull interludes, and the characters just don't excite interest, except for Ruthie Eva, Annabelle's mother, who has managed to create a successful if somewhat unhappy life for herself. Several murders, a large warehouse fire and a finale in the Maryland woods can't rescue a muddled tale containing little spark or personality.
