Nina Fischman, the Upper West Side's savviest and funniest Jewish lawyer is back from California and another failed relationship to start anew. But before she can unpack her bags, another murder crosses her path, and Nina, along with her mother-cum-sidekick sleuth, can't keep her nose out of trouble for too long. To further complicate matters, one of the suspects in the poisoning of the dead scientist is Nina's brother-in-law, Ken, the dermatologist.
With the ruse of writing an exposÄ for The New Yorker, Nina comes across everyone from the striking Roz Brillstein, the widow, to the handsome, horselike director of S.P.A.S.M., a staunch animal activist group, to the scientists who discovered Leptin (the "fat mouse gene"). So whodunit? Nina's brother-in-law? The dead man's wife? The animal activist? Or any other suspect? Watch as Nina brilliantly--and hilariously--figures it out.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Things are not exactly looking up for Nina Fischman--recently split from her boyfriend, unemployed, back living with her mother in Manhattan, and at 40, feeling that perhaps her best years are behind her (and even those weren't so great). Quietly slipping into compromised complacency, she is suddenly jolted back to life by--what else?--a murder mystery. To add to the intrigue, a prime suspect is her brother-in-law, who not only worked with the recently departed, but just happened to be involved in a lucrative real estate deal with him, so guess who now owns the property? Motive? You bet. But there is also the animal-rights group who had targeted the late scientist for his treatment of lab animals, and even his widow had her reasons. At times funny and consistently quirky, Survival Instincts is a fun read that keeps the reader guessing.
Nina Fischman's back from her abortive trek to L.A. with Jonathan Harris, sans man, sans job, sans pride (she has to move in with her mother, for crying out loud). But when her mild brother-in-law, Ken Rubin, is implicated in the poisoning of his real-estate partner, Andy Campbell, Nina (Alternate Sides, 1995, etc.) has herself another crime-solving gig, this time under cover of helping her successful ``friend'' Ellen Simon research a story for the New Yorker. Though there's nothing very mysterious about the case--Roz Brillstein, Andy's flashy widow, blames the animal-rights activists of SPASM (the Society for the Protection of All Small Mammals) who were protesting Andy's experiments with lab rats, though Andy's former partner, who became former after bedding down with Roz, looks equally suspicious--it does bring Nina together with dishy SPASM executive director Peter Slater (``even this guy's knuckles looked good''), give her a chance for a showdown with the killer and her no-nonsense mom, and leave her with her hair dyed and an unexpected new job. As usual, the lame mystery is an excuse for some laugh-out- loud chatter and Piesman's uniquely astringent insights into family relations (``In Jewish families, people generally avoided saying anything nice to each other. It was some sort of incest taboo''). -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 3.25
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First Edition. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 8958610-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP92571354
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.1. Seller Inventory # G0385313586I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Daniel Montemarano, Newfield, NJ, U.S.A.
Hard Cover. Condition: Near Fine+. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition/1st Printing (complete number line). remainder mark on bottom. $20.95 price present on DJ flap. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 027443
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Scene of the Crime, ABAC, IOBA, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First edition, first printing of the sixth novel in the "Nina Fischman" series. In fine / fine condition. Seller Inventory # 23309
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 0.7. Seller Inventory # 0385313586-2-4
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.7. Seller Inventory # 0385313586-2-3
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Sperry Books, Rollinsford, NH, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Ex library with stamps, good cover, dust jacket covered w/ mylar, tight binding, clean text Prompt, reliable service, shipped next business day. Int'l mailed via first class or priority. Seller Inventory # shcf1300459
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Montclair Book Center, Montclair, NJ, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: USED Good. Seller Inventory # 111267
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Willis Monie-Books, ABAA, Cooperstown, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Printing. Seller Inventory # 24387
Quantity: 1 available