The Dark of Day

Barbara Parker

ISBN 10: 1602834180 ISBN 13: 9781602834187

Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America, 2008

Synopsis

A young woman vanishes from a celebrity studded party on South Beach. The media descend, and the spotlight threatens to reveal the secret past of a high profile criminal defense attorney. C.J. Dunn is an expert at spinning her clients image in the media. Shes the perfect lawyer to deflect police interest in Rick Slater, head of security for Bob Shelby, a U.S. Congress man from Miami. Slater was seen at a South Beach party with the recently vanished Alana Martin, but in election season, any hint of scandal could doom the Congressmans chances. C.J. has reasons not to like Slaters boss, but if she succeeds, friends of the Congressman have assured her they can arrange a spot for her as a legal commentator on a national media outlet. For a woman living alone, with few close friends, a celebrity life has its appeal. But as the media close in, hounding everyone connected to the case, C.J. finds connections she had never anticipated.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Parker (1947-2009) was the author of thirteen mysteries, including the Suspicion series featuring Miami lawyers Anthony Quintana and Gail Connor. Her debut, Suspicion of Innocence, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. She also penned four stand-alone thrillers, including The Dark of Day and The Perfect Fake.

From Booklist

Miami’s hard-partying culture is the backdrop for Parker’s latest, a stand-alone featuring CJ Dunn, defense lawyer to the rich and famous. CJ knows a a lot about partying, having done her share with boyfriend Billy Medina, who throws some of the classiest galas in town. When pretty Alana Martin disappears from one of them, Rick Slater, bodyguard-driver of a local politician, is tagged as the last to see her, and CJ, with a possible CNN gig to entice her, agrees to manage the fallout. Slater claims he is innocent, but as curious CJ investigates, she finds herself not only becoming more skeptical of her client but also recalling her own youthful mistakes. Parker’s earlier novels, especially her Gail Connor series, have earned kudos, but this one is less successful. The multiple story threads mostly come together by the close, but not without some stretching, and the prose this time sometimes verges close to cliché. That said, Parker has her fans, and female lawyers are a hot commodity in the genre at the moment. --Stephanie Zvirin

About this edition

• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1602834180
• ISBN 13: 9781602834187
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 10