From Publishers Weekly
Kennealy deals another winning hand in his second Carroll Quint mystery (after 2007's
Jigsaw). Quint, an entertainment writer for the
SanFrancisco Bulletin, reports to editor-in-chief Katherine the Great Parkham, who's worried about the
Bulletin's possible acquisition by Sir Charles Talbot, a media magnate and famed art collector. Hoping to prevent the paper's sale, Parkham asks poker expert Quint to uncover how Talbot's son, Charlie, cheats at cards. Meanwhile, Quint's mother, a former Hollywood actress, asks him to investigate the recent Sausalito suicide of an old friend, aspiring actress Ulla Kjeldsen (aka Vicky Vandamn), who once dated Talbot Sr. Quint discovers that Vicky died while working on a scandalous memoir, which has since disappeared. The murder of an art curator and the disappearance of a Picasso painting from Talbot Sr.'s collection send Quint on a wild ride for answers that will keep readers turning the pages.
(Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
Entertainment critic and film noir author Carroll Quint gets a panicky call from his mother, former movie starlet Karen Kass. Vicky Vandamn, a roommate of Karen's some thirty years ago when they worked at Talbot Studios, disappeared from Hollywood under mysterious circumstances. Now she's been found dead on her houseboat in nearby Sausalito, a reported suicide victim. Quint's mother is certain that Vicky, who was involved with a rough Hollywood crowd, was murdered. 'Act like one of those private eyes in your book, dear. And find out who killed her. ' Quint tries to do just that, and soon finds himself tangled up with lazy cops, a paranoid PI, a billionaire former movie-studio head, and a peeping tom-who kept a very close eye on Vandamn. When all appears to be lost, Quint's mother comes up with a revealing old still photo and a clue involving Fred Astaire's hands that sets Quint on a collision course with the murderer. This second in the series delivers another dynamic story and an entertaining coterie of characters.
