From rec.arts.sf-reviews Fri Nov 1 10:55:13 1991 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!seunet!mcsun!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!pacbell.com!pacbell!pbhyc!djdaneh From: alayne@geas.gandalf.ca (Alayne McGregor) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-reviews Subject: Review of Kate Wilhelm's DEATH QUALIFIED Message-ID: <1991Oct31.004544.29515@pbhyc.PacBell.COM> Date: 31 Oct 91 00:45:44 GMT Sender: djdaneh@pbhyc.PacBell.COM (Dan'l DanehyOakes) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf-lovers Organization: Pacific * Bell Lines: 57 Approved: djdaneh@pbhyc.pacbell.com DEATH QUALIFIED: A MYSTERY OF CHAOS by Kate Wilhelm reviewed by Alayne McGregor At an anonymous university, a maintenance man named Tom has awakened to the fact that he is being drugged to prevent him from revealing -- what? In a small town in Oregon, Nell Kendricks hears that her husband Lucas, missing without explanation for more than six years, has reappeared and is coming to see her and their children. Will he threaten their lives? In Phoenix, Arizona, Barbara Holloway is about to leave another dead-end job when her father calls to say he needs her and her skills as a lawyer. Barbara left the law when she became sickened by legal compromises and plea-bargaining; now her father needs her back to defend Nell against the charge of murdering Lucas. But, as Barbara investigates the case, she discovers much more than a simple shooting. That applies to the book, as well. In what's ostensibly a murder mystery, Wilhelm uses Mandelbrot sets and chaos theory both as an integral part of the mystery and as a metaphor for much of what happens in the story. Unexpected perturbations from tiny events, similar patterns showing up as one goes to finer and finer detail: this also applies to the plot and characters in this novel. It's not a perfect analogy; Wilhelm has to compromise this with the strict structure of a mystery. But it works quite well and produces an engrossing book with interesting and believable characters, an intriguing plot (if slightly unbelievable in spots), and a mystery that I wasn't able to solve until shortly before the end of the book. Wilhelm was first and best known as a science fiction writer; however, in the last few years she has concentrated more on mysteries and mainstream novels. In _Death Qualified_, she has produced a well-done combination of both. %T Death Qualified: A Mystery of Chaos %A Kate Wilhelm %C New York %D 1991 %I St. Martin's Press %O hardcover, US$22.95 %G ISBN 0-312-05853-5 %P 438pp -- Alayne McGregor alayne@gandalf.ca From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Nov 26 10:38:50 1991 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!news.funet.fi!fuug!mcsun!uunet!think.com!mips!pacbell.com!pacbell!pbhyc!djdaneh From: slewis@!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sarah L Lewis) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: CAMBIO BAY by Kate Wilhelm: a review Message-ID: <1991Nov25.195720.8257@pbhyc.PacBell.COM> Date: 25 Nov 91 19:57:20 GMT Sender: djdaneh@pbhyc.PacBell.COM (Dan'l DanehyOakes) Reply-To: slewis@!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sarah L Lewis) Followup-To: rec.arts.sfwritten Organization: Pacific * Bell Lines: 49 Approved: djdaneh@pbhyc.pacbell.com CAMBIO BAY by Kate Wilhelm: a review Cambio Bay, California, population 203, is a place of changes. For five people left stranded in the coastal town due to an unexpected landslide, however, these changes are not always for the better. Carolyn Engleman is a no-nonsense real estate agent returning home from an unsuccessful ranch appraisal. Boise Wilkes, hiding from family tragedy, is a man Carolyn rescues after his car is lost in the slide. Iris Lathan, on the run from drug traffickers who believe her mute daughter was witness to one of their deals, finds sanctuary in Cambio Bay with her five- year-old, Bonnie. And Harold Ritchie, an academic type on sabbatical, finds in the town's calmness an ideal setting for his research. All five are forced to wait out the storm in Miss Luisa's Guest House, a huge, labyrinthine structure whose hallways and passages change upon each entrance. But it is Miss Luisa herself who is the most intriguing character of all. To some she appears a kindly, well- preserved matron of ninety, while to others she is their beautiful middle-aged proprietress. While the storm's refugees are drawn together for comfort and by necessity, each night they are entertained by succeeding chapters of a Native American creation myth. It is a neverending tale, rich in symbolism, which Miss Luisa seems to know just a bit too well... or does she? It is a place where only the invited are welcomed, something unbeknownst to the men chasing the Lathans, to the local townspeople, and to the five themselves. Wilhelm has an excellent eye for detail, for I was easily able to picture the colorful sparseness of the California countryside. The regional mythology is a powerful background force which serves to root the plot firmly in the earth. Only the ending left me a bit disappointed, for I would have liked to have known more about the characters' futures. This is a minor point, however. Although marketed as mainstream fiction, enough elements of the unexpected are present to satisfy the most discriminating fantasy audience. Though published last year, I only discovered this book recently. If you can't find it in your local bookstore, check your library; I would recommend seeking it out. ------ Copyright (c) 1991 by Sarah L. Lewis %A Wilhelm, Kate %T Cambio Bay %I St. Martin's Press %C New York %D 1990 %G ISBN 0-312-03800-3 %P 294 pp %O hardcover, US$17.95