Cold Case (A Barbara Holloway Novel, 5)

I use to read Kate Wilhelm all the time and for some unkown reason, I stopped reading her. I am glad that I picked up Cold Case because this book features Wilhelm at her best. In Cold Case, we find Barbara Holloway is back again. I really like this character as I always found her to be extremely savy and smart and quite entertaining at the same time! So, she is always a joy to read. Cold Case takes a look at a case that was extremely delicate - 22 years ago - hence the title Cold Case. Holloway finds herself with a new murder on her hands - except that the victim was once accused of murder himself - Holloway will find herself caught up in the middle of both the Cold Case and the new murder and must beat the clock in order to save the accused who may or may not be guilty. I loved the fact that the author did such a great job of joining the past and the present - and she does it in a clever way - without making it feel as though it is "forced" or plot oriented. Great pacing as always - this is never a problem with Wilhelm's novels - she is a master at keeping the story moving. I really, really enjoyed this one.

Cold Case This book is worth reading. It was hard to lay it down, as it kept my interest so active, that I wanted to read on to find out what happened next. Very interesting and and well researched by the author. I can only recommend it to readers who like to follow their own guess in a suspense.

A typically good Kate Wilhelm story, but left a couple of loose ends untied - Who followed one of the characters, for instance, and why? In addition, I don't really like it in a series when a problem is brought up in one book, but left hanging for a future book. By the time the next book comes out, I have long forgotten the plot in a previous one. It doesn't make me anxiously await the next book, it just leaves me with an unfinished feeling on the current one.

Over two decades ago in Eugene, Oregon, someone murdered teenager Jill Storey. The police and much of the small town believed that either teens David Etheridge or Robert McCrutchen killed her. However, no evidence was found and the case went cold. Twenty-two years later, David an author returns to his hometown and ends up staying with Robert who is a senator and his wife. Soon afterward, someone murders Robert. The police once again suspect David, believing they have motive, means and definitely opportunity. He, knowing that he is a person of interest, hires attorney Barbara Holloway to represent him. She and her team begin to investigate the two homicides with each clue making the case stronger against her client. The latest Holloway investigative thriller is an enjoyable regional whodunit starring an eccentric Oregonian cast, but not quite as powerful as most of the previous tales (see SLEIGHT OF HAND and A WRONGFUL DEATH). With humor to somewhat abating the tension, fans will appreciate Barbara's efforts to find proof that someone else committed the recent homicide although she and the audience begin to believe David is guilty until a beating occurs. Her digging means no time to mount a defense and takes away from the overall story line as she gets nowhere for much of the novel. Still COLD CASE is a fine Holloway tale. Harriet Klausner