Rating: 
Summary: A Tense Courtroom Drama
Review: Oregon Criminal defense attorney, Barbara Holloway, always likes the challenge of a tough case, but this time she's definitely in for the fight of her life. It seems Gus Marchand, an overbearing and tyrannical religious zealot was found dead in his kitchen, slammed in the head with a hammer. All suspicion falls on Alex Feldman, a horribly disfigured recluse and neighbor of the victim whom Marchand had tormented for years, calling him the devil freak or devil spawn. The evidence, what little there is, is all circumstantial. But because of bigotry and fear in this rural community, Alex, an easy target, is arrested and charged with the murder. Now it's up to Barbara, her father and mentor, Frank, and the rest of her defense team to find the truth and set Alex free..... Kate Wilhelm has written a tight, compelling legal thriller full of twists, turns and surprises that will keep readers turning pages to the end. Her crisp, tense writing is suspenseful with vivid and riveting scenes and her characters are well drawn "real" people. Ms Wilhelm's indepth knowledge of the workings of the law and legal procedures adds real credibility to the story and her courtroom scenes really come alive on the page. Add to that clever secondary plot lines to flesh out and enhance the story, a stunning climax and very satisifying ending that ties up all the loose ends, and you have the makings of a thriller that shouldn't be miss. Desperate Measures is a winner!
Rating:
Summary: Engaging protagonist updates Beauty and the Beast
Review: Oregon defense attorney Barbara Holloway finds herself at odds with her mentor father, Frank, when the murder of a mean-spirited religious zealot and family despot lands each with a client. Frank's client, the high school principal and an old friend, has a married lover and Gus Marchand, the murdered man, had threatened to expose her. But Barbara's client, young Alex Feldman, despite scant evidence, is the prime suspect.Born with a hideous facial deformity, he was denounced by Marchand, his neighbor, as the devil's spawn and a sexual predator. Alex's adolescent history of violent outbursts doesn't help. The son of shallow, beautiful people whose idea of sympathy was to hide him in his room, Alex is rescued after a teenage suicide attempt by Dr. Graham Minick, who takes him to live in rural Oregon. Now, 14 years later, (still with Minick) Alex is the successful author/artist of a pseudonymous satirical cartoon strip, a career which would be threatened if his identity was revealed. Wilhelm frames a thoughtful, moderately suspenseful story of detection and legal maneuvering around a core of repression in the name of religion, bigotry, and instinctual aversion. Born with, basically, half a face, Alex inspires visceral hostility in everyone who sets eyes on him, a reaction Barbara, along with her co-workers and father, must overcome. With time and familiarity, the man emerges from behind the deformity. A sensitive "Beauty and the Beast" story, exploring the roots of violence in alienation and one man's lucky escape from a blighted life, Wilhelm's novel strikes a resonant chord. A credible plot, a smart, engaging protagonist and well-rounded secondary characters in this sixth Holloway novel add up to another success for the award-winning Wilhelm, author of the science fiction classic, "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" and "The Good Children."
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