Rating: 
Summary: A not-quite-seamless fusion of genres.
Review: _Death Qualified_ is ostensibly a mystery written by the award-winning speculative fiction writer Kate Wilhelm, yet it contains elements of SF and perhaps even a dash of romance novels. It is unfair, ultimately, to describe this book in such a third-rate-critic-voice. Wilhelm is certainly better than the sum of her parts, yet I was ultimately disappointed by this book.The book opens much like a traditional mystery: we start from the viewpoint of the victim before his untimely death. (I don't give too much away; this is established quite early, and is obvious.) Cut to another charcter viewpoint -- this time one who is crucial -- and finally the reader learns of the main character, Barbara 'Bobby' Holloway. Bobby is a lawyer who gave up her practice five years ago for personal and moral reasons. Her father calls to say that he cannot defend the woman accused of her husband's murder; he doesn't have the talent, but Bobby does. Despite serious misgivings, she returns to her father's side to help him. In due course, the reader is introduced to a wide cast of characters. Unlike the drawing room mysteries of England, not everyone has a reason for killing the victim. In fact, no one really does. Rather, the characters exist to give depth and detail; and each plays a pivotal role in the trial. But then enters the speculative fiction plotpoint: it becomes evident that the murder victim was embroiled in a secret and (of course) deadly scientific experiment. I wouldn't spoil too much, but it has to do less with chaos mathematics (which is explained superficially but with clarity) and more with the development of thought in infants and adolescents. It is crucial to understand the details of Wilhelm's explanations here in order to fathom exactly what she is hypothesizing, but I found these explanations muddled; it's only because I have scientific training that I found it easy to follow. And frankly, this entire subplot (which may be the main reason for this novel's existence)was largely irrelevant to the mystery and courtroom drama the synopsis on the back cover promises. The resolution ends with two traditional and almost hackneyed events: first, there is the necessary chase through the dark and scary forest, which is mercifully short for those who have seen this too much; and second, there is the obligatory 'we thought the danger was past but no, somehow the danger has not been eradicated and -- oh my! -- aren't the implications frightening?' (Think of the dead character who isn't, or the mutant or alien gene still present in the overlooked rat.) I found myself comparing the style to William Kienzle's Fathery Koestler books. I found Wilhelm to be the better of the two, because Kienzle often requires an almost deus-ex-machina resolution (usually by keeping some key piece of evidence from the reader for no reason other than to maintain suspense -- a tactic I consider unfair to the reader interested in untangling the knots him- or herself). Wilhelm allows all pieces of the puzzle to be placed before the pattern is revealed. Unfortunately, the pattern is not quite seamless, demanding that the reader be interested in two nearly non-intersecting storylines: the courtroom drama and the scientific discovery. Wilhelm also has a more (for want of a better word) feminine quality, wherein the characters emotionally respond to events rather than the common untouched-and-unmoved-main character so prevalent in mysteries. While this lends depth to the characters and the story, I found that it was overdone at times, occasionally overwhelming the storyline. All in all, a reasonably good book. Although it doesn't deliver on all promises as well as it could, I found it interesting and entertaining enough to purchase the next in the Barbara Holloway series.
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