A Hard Bargain
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A burned-out attorney investigates a strange small-town suicide in this mystery from the author of The Good Fight.
Laura Di Palma's days as a high-profile San Francisco lawyer are behind her. Four hundred miles north of the city in her peaceful hometown, she now spends her days hiking in the woods and helping her lover cope with his war injuries. But their retreat is soon interrupted by a private detective—Laura's former flame—who's looking for help with his disturbing new case . . .
Karen McGuin was a troubled woman. Her husband, Ted, claims that, after her first suicide attempt, he'd leave a loaded gun in front of her every day to force her to choose life. But one day she finally chose the gun. Now Karen's family wants Ted charged with murder.
As Laura examines Karen's past, she's forced to question the status of her own life. But self-reflection quickly takes a backseat after Ted almost dies in an explosion. Suspicious of foul play, Laura knows she must uncover the truth before a killer strikes again . . .
"Matera skillfully weaves Laura's dissatisfaction with her own circumstances into the investigation of Karen's death, taking a thought-provoking look at the dangers in relationships that grow too close." —Publishers Weekly
"[A] welcome respite from the mystery-by-formula crowd." —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Attorney Laura DiPalma, last seen in The Good Fight , has dropped out of the San Francisco law scene and, now unemployed, is living in her northern California hometown with her cousin and lover, Hal. Her former partner, Sandy Arkelett, arrives to ask the pair to help him find out whether Ted McGuin, a black paramedic who lives nearby, is responsible for his wife Karen's death, as her recorded final message implies. Karen, who was white, had a history of depression and self-mutilation and said in her message that Ted left her alone each day with a loaded gun. What, her family wonders, was his intention? Laura, intrigued and tiring of her staid life with dour Hal, accompanies Sandy as he visits Ted's parents, who say they loved Karen unconditionally. Karen's parents say the McGuins used their daughter-in-law to promote their crafts business. Ted's diving tank and boat are sabotaged, spurring Laura and Sandy to search for the missing pieces in the puzzle of Karen's life. In this somber tale, Matera skillfully weaves Laura's dissatisfaction with her own circumstances into the investigation of Karen's death, taking a thought-provoking look at the dangers in relationships that grow too close. Reprint rights to Ballantine; Mystery Guild alternate; author tour.
