Whispers in the Dark: A Marti MacAlister Mystery - Softcover

Bland, Eleanor Taylor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312307330 ISBN 13: 9780312307332

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2002

Synopsis

A fine rain was falling as Detective Marti MacAlister made her way through the tall grass to the wooded area where the arm had been found. It was cool for early September, and the rain, little more than a mist, felt cold. Marti stared at the hand. The fingers were curled in a beckoning gesture.

Eleanor Taylor Bland's popular African-American heroine, homicide detective Marti MacAlister, and her partner are assigned a most unusual case-all that's left of the unfortunate murder victim is an arm. Their investigation leads them into the exclusive and secretive history of the artistic community in Lincoln Prairie, Illinois.

Meanwhile, Marti's troubled best friend Sharon is slowly getting involved with a man who makes Sharon's friends and family uneasy. When he spirits her away to the Bahamas, then lures her daughter down after them, Marti has no choice but to go to the islands on a dramatic rescue mission.

Another captivating tale of danger and obsession from Eleanor Taylor Bland, Whispers in the Dark will keep fans and new readers alike in gripping suspense.

About this title

About the Author

Eleanor Taylor Bland is the author of eight previous mysteries featuring Marti MacAlister, most recently Scream in Silence. She lives in Waukegan, Illinois.

From Publishers Weekly

Don't be put off by the dark, forbidding cover of this latest thriller in Bland's popular Marti MacAlister series, because the story is gripping from the opening sentence through its chilling final scene. African-American detective Marti and partner Matthew Jessenovik investigate a 20-year killing spree where victims' severed hands are found protruding from the ground, "fingers curled in a beckoning gesture." Their quest for the perp runs through Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods, encountering the plagues of urban America today: prostitution, drug addiction, AIDS and, inevitably, murder. A look at the origins of some of these intractable problems takes us back to a '70s hippie commune where one of Chicago society's daughters sought refuge after her mother's suicide. Beyond a simple murder case, the novel becomes an engrossing story of the ever more violent conflicts between society's "insiders and the excluded," and Bland's obvious familiarity with urban issues lends credibility to her riveting style. She deftly interweaves a subplot involving Marti's best friend, who's entangled in a terrifying relationship with a serial killer who lures her, and later her unsuspecting teenage daughter, to the Bahamas just before a hurricane nearly destroys the islands. While much blood is spilled in this despairing tale, it is never graphic or sensational, but rather gives an authentic feeling of life in the urban abyss. The last page shows disturbingly how the cycle of violence will continue unabated. Agent, Ted Chichak. (Nov. 12)Forecast: With no special promotion and bleak subject matter, this quality item could benefit from some aggressive handselling.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0312307330
• ISBN 13: 9780312307332
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256