Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Five of SixThe Silent Cradle by Margaret Cuthbert
Pocket Books, April 1998.Hardcover, 348 pages.
ISBN: 0671015133.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Dr. Rae Duprey, the best baby
doctor at Berkeley Hills Hospital, grows
deeply concerned when some
pregant mothers, whose deliveries
should be routine, start to require emergency
operations upon arrival
to her hospital. The Baby Center, a nearby facility, routinely
delivers mothers that will need C-sections or
non-routine deliveries to Berkley because it does
not have surgery capabilities. Berkeley
has been losing clients to the Baby Center,
a birth center with a modern-day, comfortable
appeal.
Rae learns that the hospital wants to remove her
department due to financial considerations.
She manages to get a two week delay from
the hospital administrators and is given a chance
to prove that Berkeley is essential for the babies,
but the situation worsens when her ex-love Bo
Michaels, who also runs the Baby Center, starts
blaming her for the incidents. Determined
to prevent any more unexpected emergencies,
Rae starts investigating. She begins to
suspect something is happening to the babies
enroute to Berkeley and starts questioning
the ambulance drivers whose behaviour is suspicious at best.
When her best friend and co-worker
Bernie is murdered late one night while looking
over some files for her in the library, the situation begins
to escalate out of control. Rae
must battle doubt from the police,
continue to perform emergency operations on mothers
whose deliveries should have been routine and risk
her own life as she struggles to save
the hospital and discover who the baby-killer is.
Be sure to read The Silent Cradle, a great debut from Margaret Cuthbert, a former obstetrician. The fast-paced plot, thrilling medical emergencies, elements of suspense and excellent characters make this novel a first class thriller.
Trouble in the Town Hall by Jeanne M. Dams
HarperCollins, Feb., 1998.Paperback, 246 pages.
ISBN: 0061011320.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
American Dorothy Martin has now lived in her new home
in Sherebury, England, a charming cathedral town, for
just over a year. While on her way to a lunch date with
the charming local Chief Constable, Dorothy stops by the
now deserted Town Hall -- which has become the
subject of a bitter debate between the historical society and those who want to use
the lovely old building as the site of a new shopping mall --
and stumbles over a dead body. Although warned by Chief
Constable Nesbitt not to
investigate on her own, Dorothy nevertheless feels compelled
to see what she can dig up about the mysterious young man who
was found murdered. What she finds are some long-buried local
scandals which could lead to more violence unless Dorothy
finds out the truth.
Trouble in the Town Hall is a charming cozy in the tradition of the English murder mystery, updated for the 90s. The characterizations are fresh and funny. Fans of Agatha Christie will love watching Dorothy -- who never sets foot outside without one of her many hats -- pursue the truth in her own inimitable way. The description of life in the lovely, fictional town of Sherebury will charm readers. Anglophiles and Golden Age mystery lovers should pour themselves a glass of sherry and settle down for a delightful read.
Return to the June 1998 issue of The IWJ.
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