Reviews for Cape Perdido
Library Journal
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A small town is pitted against a foreign corporation, and desperation drives ugly truths into the open as four people fight to save their home. Recently named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, Muller lives in Petaluma, CA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Like Cyanide Wells (2003), this stand-alone mystery from the creator of the popular Sharon McCone series draws much of its appeal from its rustic, beautiful Northern California setting. A small tourist community, dependent on fishing and boating, is under siege. A -water-exporting company has petitioned the state for rights to literally bag the water from the Perdido River and haul it to drought-plagued communities in the southern part of the state. Tempers are hot, and seasoned environmentalists have stepped in to help the locals fight the commercial interlopers. Suddenly events spin out of control, and two activists disappear. Using the alternating perspective of four characters, Muller teases out the relationship between the present-day struggle and a terrible secret from the past. There is little here in terms of tone, style, and atmosphere that will seem new to Muller's regular readers, but the carefully measured plot revelations, which gradually expose the ways in which past and present are entwined, prove more than enough to keep both longtime fans and newcomers spellbound to the finish. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
The Perdido River, a Northern California wildlife refuge and unspoiled recreation area, is in danger. A multinational corporation has plans to siphon off the Perdido water in bags the size of a football field. The bags would be towed south and sold to the highest bidder. The residents of Cape Perdido launch a campaign to stop the "waterbaggers," calling in help from environmental groups from as far away as New York. The sins of the residents of Cape Perdido begin to surface during the struggle, leading to murder and mayhem that can only be resolved if and when everyone confesses. In a high-stakes game of chance, Muller's characters are realistically self-centered and self-sacrificing in turn. The layers of long-hidden emotional conflict make the story interesting, but the outcome is never really in doubt. Dick Hill's and Joyce Bean's Down East and New York regional accents leave something to be desired. Recommended for large fiction collections.-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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MWA Grand Master Muller delivers a relatively routine stand-alone, a murder mystery with an environmental veneer, which falls short of the quality of her acclaimed Sharon McCone series (The Dangerous Hour, etc.). When a greedy North Carolina corporation seeks to harvest water from a quiet California lumber town-the Cape Perdido of the title-Jessie Domingo, a public and community relations consultant, and Fitch Collier, an arrogant and difficult attorney who specializes in water rights, team up to help the community fight the interloper. The conflict between the townspeople and the company rapidly escalates after a sniper takes a shot at one of the huge bags to be used to transport the water. The lingering shadow from a decades-old unsolved murder connected to many of the local players in the dispute complicates Domingo's work and leads to even more violence. Less than compelling characters and a pat ending mark this as an uncharacteristic lapse for Muller, who hopefully will return to form with her next book. Agent, Molly Friedrich. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
