Total Eclipse

Trying to clear his lover's name after she is charged with murdering her family members, Lomax, an astronomer, uncovers a web of cruelty, deceit, and desire that comes to a shocking conclusion at Julia's trial. A first novel. 100,000 first printing. Lit Guild Feat Alt.

When beautiful Julia Fox is accused of murdering her husband and stepdaughter, her lover, an astronomer named Lomax, assists the defense team investigating the crime. But to his dismay, Lomax uncovers evidence that helps the prosecution more than the defense: a history of antagonism between Julia and her step-daughter, Gail; hints of incest between Gail and her lawyer father; a huge withdrawal from Julia's trust fund that may have been a blackmail payment. Complicating matters are the dead man's membership in a club that caters to peculiar sexual tastes, and Lomax's obsessive jealousy of Julia. Set in and around an unnamed California observatory, which serves as the source of a subplot about celestial distortions that neatly ties into the main story line, Rigbey's first novel boasts gripping courtroom sequences, a driving style and believable characters?but only up to a point. The trouble is that the plot climaxes in what is clearly meant to be a stunning surprise?but it's one that many readers will have guessed long before. And once the secret is out so are the author's manipulations, which now appear obvious, as does the lack of discernment in otherwise intelligent characters. Still, excepting this major flaw, this is a well-written and engrossing debut, tailored for a hot summer day's read. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rigbey's debut novel streaks onto the mystery scene like a shooting star--powerful, suspenseful, sensational, and guaranteed to keep readers absolutely engrossed. Lomax is an astronomer, alternately nerdy, superintelligent, witty, and charming. Recovering from a painful divorce, he's delighted when beautiful Julia Fox comes to work at the observatory where he stares at the stars. The two are drawn together, especially when Lomax discovers that a year earlier, poor Julia's much-older husband and stepdaughter were brutally killed. Trouble is, Julia's a prime suspect, and soon after she and Lomax become simpatico, she's arrested and charged with the double murder. Lomax, besotted and convinced of her innocence, is determined to prove that someone else committed the horrible deed. What follows is a series of bizarre revelations, unusual twists, and unexpected surprises that will leave readers breathless. Rigbey's first novel is masterfully written, ingeniously plotted, and stunning in its deviousness, reading like a combination of The Client, Body Heat, and Jurassic Park. A welcome addition to the mystery galaxy, Rigbey is a talented new author who shows immense promise. Let's hope we hear more from her very soon. Emily Melton

Suspended from his job at a high-powered observatory, research astronomer Lomax takes on the task of clearing the beautiful but enigmatic Julia Fox, who is charged with the brutal murders of her husband and stepdaughter. The other-worldly Lomax is assisted at times by a roly-poly colleague who has eyes for him; a misanthropic, nicotine-addicted children's librarian with encyclopedic knowledge of her neighbors' foibles; and a strange woman with a super-sensitive olfactory system. Their quest holds the reader's attention but is barely credible. The trial scenes that follow are perfunctory, and the ending is gimmicky. A second mystery (involving the observatory) is never truly resolved. Total Eclipse combines a potentially interesting novel of character with a mechanical, convoluted, not terribly believable thriller. While first novelist Rigbey displays an eye for people's traits and looks and the character of Lomax is appealing enough, the book eventually sinks because of its phoniness.
--David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.