![]() Readers will relish the resulting comic soap-opera murder mystery, taking especial pleasure in watching these pros deftly recast a scene, a clue or a character to keep the story rollicking along. Lucky 13 Laurie King dazzles by weaving a prettily finished quilt from the motley patches created by her comrades. Jance, Faye Kellerman, Mary Jane Clark, Marcia Talley, Anne Perry, Diana Gabaldon and Val McDermid) each get a crack at muddying the waters or putting a new spin on an already dizzy character or in some cases, adding a new victim to the growing pile. Those who follow (Nancy Pickard, Lisa Scottoline, Perri O'Shaughnessy, J.A. Robb, in the number two spot, wastes no time shifting the plot into gear with the murder of the spa's flamboyant owner, Claudia de Vries. Nevada Barr, who leads off, deserves credit for introducing heroine Caroline Blessing her surprising mother, Hilda Finch and several more of the zany inhabitants of Phoenix Spa, snuggled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. To some extent, position determines each contributor's role, but each author has ample opportunity to display her unique talents. An all-star lineup of 13 women mystery authors has produced one madcap, murderous tale in the same serial fashion as Naked Came the Manatee (1996).
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