From Publishers Weekly
In the midst of preparations to host the Olympics, the city of Atlanta is locked in the grip of racial tension when a drunk driver, wealthy white socialite Whitney Dobbs, runs down a black child and is sentenced to a small fine and 100 hours of community service. Callahan Garrity, owner of The House Mouse cleaning service and part-time PI, reluctantly takes on some detective work for Whitney, whose ex-husband, well-known cardiologist, Carson Dobbs, is suspected of financial hanky-panky. Meanwhile, Whitney is gunned down while collecting garbage for the city and Callahan, whose mother, Edna, is just out of the hospital, is drawn into the murder investigation. In Callahan's fifth outing (following Happy Never After), memorable characters abound, from the two elderly black sisters, Baby and Sister Easterbrooks, House Mouse employees who use Kotex for dinner napkins, to Neva Jean, another employee, who is allergic to the emus her husband has just bought. Traveling from the heights of Atlanta society to the depressed area known as the Promised Land, Callahan narrates her newest adventure with zesty enthusiasm, all the way to a thrilling climax with the murderer in a rustic cabin. Trocheck has a sure winner in Callahan.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA?Feisty ex-cop Callahan Garrity owns and manages an Atlanta cleaning service, plus runs a private-detective business. As the city prepares for the summer Olympics, Whitney Dobbs becomes the target of hate after she is acquitted of killing a young black girl while driving drunk. Callahan reluctantly accepts the rich woman's plea for help in solving financial problems in her divorce. When Whitney is murdered, the private eye sets out to determine who did it. The plot is simple and straightforward, but the most puzzling mystery is why the book jacket features two white rollerblades that have no significance to the plot. However, the story provides lively, glib dialogue from delightfully eccentric characters such as Miss Sister Easterbrooks, her sister Miss Baby, and Callahan's mom, Edna. The heroine exudes strength of character, courage, and independence yet maintains her humanness. All of Trocheck's characters are blessed with a sense of humor, a zest for life, and devotion to others that is often lacking in Sue Grafton's novels. This light leisure reading will hook young adults into other mysteries as well as more Trocheck.?Linda Diane Townsend, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
