Kindness of Strangers (Mass Market Paperback)

Jacomine, a liberal, civic-minded preacher in almost everybody's book, strikes Langdon as a dangerous psychopath. When her initial probes spur a relentless telephone campaign against her, complete with innuendo, slander and heated defenses of Jacomine, even Langdon is taken aback. But not deterred.

Smith's narrative weaves among the viewpoints of various characters, giving the reader an inside view of Jacomine's headquarters, civic projects and a converging subplot involving a doomed romance between an unhappy teenager and Jacomine's new press secretary.

As Langdon exposes Jacomine's past, the press secretary's misgivings about his boss and his illicit love collide. The climax rushes toward murder and kidnapping, culminating in a harrowing chase through bayou country in the midst of a hurricane.

Smith delves deeply into the hearts and psyches of her characters, letting their human motivations drive the plot. Her New Orleans is, as always, a vividly evoked cauldron of beauty, political corruption, cultural richness and steamy heat. Her plot hums with tension but it's Smith's seamlessly perceptive writing that sets this novel apart from the crowd.

I found few redeeming features in this poorly written, badly plotted exercise in tedium.

It's true, as another reveiwer says, that Skip is less confident in this novel. But to me, this adds rather than detracts. Skip's uncertainty, false starts, and growing fear are realistic, and her sense of doubting her own reality increases the tension in the novel.

As often happens when reading series novels, the side plots and secondary characters often are more interesting than the primary puzzle. Smith's teenagers are particularly good -- she seems to me to be that rare adult who hasn't been struck with nostalgic amnesia about the pain of being a 15-year-old girl.

Beware, the ending does not "sew up" all the loose ends, so you'll have to be ready to move on to the next one in a hurry!