Book Review: Suspicion of Madness

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Suspicion of Madness     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Barbara Parker
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller   Legal Setting
Series: Gail Conner / Anthony Quintana # 7
Dutton, Feb 2003, $24.95, 372 pp.

Miami lawyers Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana plan to marry in June. They are going to a small island in the Florida Keys to do a little work and relax at the island’s luxurious resort the Buttonwood Inn. Before they even get on the boat that will take them there, Anthony learns that his client nineteen-year-old Billy Fadden confessed to killing Sandy McCoy and subsequently tried to commit suicide.

When he regains consciousness Billy doesn’t remember calling the police or trying to commit suicide but he does remember seeing big black dogs and a mermaid. Without a confession and due to his mental state, the police can’t arrest him but they are looking at him as their number are suspect. Anthony and Gail’s stay at the inn becomes more work than play when they try to unravel the secrets being kept on Lindenan Key if they hope to keep Billy out of jail.

Barbara Parker has written an exciting romantic mystery that has a distinctive feel of a gothic novel. The chemistry between Gail and Anthony sizzles even hotter than usual and yet there is a more serene air about them, so they aren’t defensive with each other anymore. The mystery is so complex that the audience will never guess who the killer is until the author choose to reveal his identity. The title is the biggest clue to the killer’s identity and yet once the killer is revealed, it feels right and logical.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner