From Publishers Weekly
Gothic horror comes to bright, sunny west Florida in the latest adventure (after Blue Pearl) for wife-and-husband detective team Quin St. James and Mike McCreary. When their friend Lou Hernando, a veteran bail bondsman, is found knifed to death in his secluded rundown homestead, the duo moves in to investigate, despite rumors that the house is haunted. The obvious suspect is a young car thief whom Lou had recently taken under his wing, but Quin and Mike discover that their friend left behind a trail of peevish girlfriends and a portrait of a hauntingly beautiful woman with whom he appears to have been obsessed. She turns out to have been his senior by about 300 years-a Cuban slave who once lived in the house and whose restless spirit may roam there still. A mix of journal entries, hidden passages, unidentified rustlings and e-mail messages leads Quin and Mike to a breathtaking climax and an unexpected denouement. Although the motive behind Lou's murder may seem inadequate, it sets in motion such a page-turning sequence of action that few readers will quibble.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The latest installment in the Quin St. James^-Mike McCleary series is a stunner. The husband-wife detective team investigates when an old friend--bail bondsman Lou Hernando--is murdered in his home. A troubled youth whom Lou had befriended is charged with murder, but Quin and Mac aren't satisfied. Lou, an amateur painter, left behind a collection of canvases featuring a long-dead Cuban slave who was the mistress of the house's original owner. Some said she haunted the ancient Florida home; Quin and Mac agree that she haunted Lou's mind. Though their investigation leads them into the world of psychics and tarot cards, the solution to the case doesn't involve things that go bump in the night as much as individuals who bump each other in the night. MacGregor can match up just fine with any of his fellow Floridian mystery writers when it comes to evoking the heat, corruption, rot, and decay that make the Sunshine State today's hippest fictional crime locale. Toss in a good plot, viperous dialogue, and dazzling characterizations for a troubling but memorable read.
Wes Lukowsky
