Cruel April (Dave Garrett Mystery) - Softcover

Albert, Neil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451178610 ISBN 13: 9780451178619

Publisher: Signet, 1996

Synopsis

Unable to forget his love for married teacher Kate McMahan, private detective Dave Garrett is delighted when Kate says she is finally leaving her husband, but when she fails to show up, Dave becomes involved in a grueling missing-persons case. Reprint.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

The fourth calendar adventure (coming after Burning March) for Philadelphia PI Dave Garrett is a page-turner throughout. Echoing the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the tale leads the appealing, tender-hearted Garrett, a disbarred lawyer, through hell, Pennsylvania style. He's searching for lovely, red-haired Kate, who was supposed to leave her drunken brute of a husband in Miami and join the PI, her new lover, in Philadelphia. When Kate's bags arrive but she doesn't, Garrett starts a search that takes him from economically devastated Chester, in eastern Pennsylvania, where the streets are empty round the clock, to the sparsely settled wilds of the central part of the state. Convinced that Kate will perish if he falls asleep, Dave keeps popping amphetamines and drinking coffee. On the way to the final twist, six people die, Garrett survives assorted attempts on his life, including one from a Colombian drug pusher armed with an M-16. Motivation is a little weak, but effective settings and action and a neat resolution provide first-rate entertainment.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

What Sue Grafton has done with the alphabet, Neil Albert is doing with the calendar. Beginning with The January Corpse (1991), Albert's Dave Garrett mysteries, starring the disbarred Philadelphia lawyer turned private eye, have featured fast action and a believable, appealing cast of characters. The April installment begins when Kate, Dave's girlfriend who has finally decided to leave her husband, doesn't arrive as scheduled on a flight from Miami to Philadelphia. When Kate's baggage is claimed by someone else, Dave knows there's trouble and begins a four-day marathon to find her. It becomes clear early on that Kate has somehow been caught in the middle of a major drug ring; with the help of his pal Lisa and Kate's husband, Dave faces the formidable task of extricating her from the mess. We contended that the climax of Albert's last book, Burning March , would "shock even the most seasoned mystery fan." Prepare to be shocked again. Stuart Miller

Edition details

• Publisher: Signet
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0451178610
• ISBN 13: 9780451178619
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272