Prelude to Death (A Blaine Stewart Mystery)

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Last seen considering marriage to her FBI boyfriend, Blaine Stewart tosses all thoughts of marital bliss out the window when a late-night call comes ringing with bad news. It's her wayward brother, Dick, pleading for Blaine's assistance in a little mess he's gotten himself into. He's been accused of murder. And not just anyone's murder, but Corrye Edwards, Key West's unofficial poet laureate and widow of a famous Cuban expatriate artist. It's not an easy case, Blaine finds upon arrival, as Dick has no alibi and ...
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More About This Book

Overview

Last seen considering marriage to her FBI boyfriend, Blaine Stewart tosses all thoughts of marital bliss out the window when a late-night call comes ringing with bad news. It's her wayward brother, Dick, pleading for Blaine's assistance in a little mess he's gotten himself into. He's been accused of murder. And not just anyone's murder, but Corrye Edwards, Key West's unofficial poet laureate and widow of a famous Cuban expatriate artist. It's not an easy case, Blaine finds upon arrival, as Dick has no alibi and Corrye's last poem, "Prelude to Death," squarely points to him as a man not to be trusted. Caught between family loyalty and the search for justice, Blaine realizes that this land of tropical breezes and languid days has a harsh undercurrent. With her every move monitored by sleazy lawyers, local detectives, and a shadowy government agent, Blaine risks her faith, her future - and her life - to clear Dick's name.
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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Manhattan PI Blaine Stewart returns from Leap of Faith for her fourth caper. Shortly after her marriage to an FBI agent, Blaine gets a late-night call for help from her brother, Dick, in Key West. Dick, who last spoke to Blaine two years earlier, has been arrested for the murder of his lover, Corrye Edwards, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and the widow of a Cuban expatriate artist. While investigating in Key West, however, Blaine runs into roadblocks, one in the person of Ray Meltzer, local policeman who seems to have had more than a passing interest in Corrye, and another in Dick's own attorney, wheelchair-bound Laska Brown, who rubs Blaine the wrong way. Coping with the heat, the tourists and the temptations of Margaritaville, recovering alcoholic Blaine wades into an intrigue that could have international repercussions. Zukowski's main plot is pleasantly sleek, but her characters, with the exception of Blaine, are sometimes flat, and coincidences abound as Blaine gets help from her sister, Eileen, an attorney, and from a ``Deep Throat'' confidant in Washington. Improbabilities aside, the colorful locale and fast pace lead to a nail-biting conclusion. (Jan.)
Library Journal
Recently married Manhattan private investigator Blaine Stewart plies her craft in Key West. It seems the local police have jailed her younger brother Dick for the rape and murder of his lover, prize-winning poet Corrye Edwards. What little information Blaine gathers appears to incriminate her brother, especially after he refuses her help and then skips bail. Blaine encounters belligerent police, suspicious government agents, and puzzling twists caused by deception from all sides. Descriptions of Key West accompany the nicely complicated plot, and Blaine's battles against alcoholism add depth to her character. For all collections.
Emily Melton
Private investigator Blaine Stewart is on her honeymoon, but when her brother, Dick, calls from Florida to tell her he's been arrested for murder, she feels honor-bound to help him out. When she arrives, however, Dick begs her to leave, saying he's hired a local lawyer to take his case. Puzzled, Blaine decides to stick around. Dick is accused of murdering his lover, a poet who is well known for her generous donations to Cuban expatriates. The more Blaine digs into the case, the more complex it seems, what with clandestine contacts from secret agents, veiled threats, and a menacing local cop. Zukowski's story is mildly appealing but never quite realizes its potential. The motley plot pieces don't quite gel, and Stewart, while gutsy and clever, doesn't stand out among the current crop of feisty female detectives. Recommended only for larger collections where the series has a following.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780525940791
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 2/29/2000
  • Series: Blaine Stewart Mystery Series, #4
  • Pages: 256
  • Product dimensions: 5.78 (w) x 8.78 (h) x 1.05 (d)

Table of Contents

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