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HOT
AND BOTHERED
Jane Isenberg
Avon
0-380-81888-4
October 2003
Mystery
Bel Barrett, a
fifty-something community college professor, is a life-long
resident of Hoboken, New Jersey. Hoboken just happens to
be across the river from Manhattan. The story begins less
than a month after the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
The neighborhood has decided that terrorists are not going
to stop them from holding their twenty-fourth annual block
party. Sol, Bel's significant other, has changed. He
witnessed the destruction of the towers from the ferry and has
become obsessed with the idea of moving into the country, where,
he claims, they'll be "safe" from future events.
Bel is deeply worried about Sol. But this is only
the beginning of her problems.
Eunice Goodson, an adjunct professor at the same community
college, leads an odd double life. She's a very good
teacher and interested in continuing her education. She's
also a stripper. Although she doesn't actually hide the
duality of her life, she is careful about who she tells. As
she confides to Bel, her job as a stripper allows her to make
ends meet, nothing more. Bel keeps the confidence until
the morning she learns that Eunice has been found, murdered.
The police, overworked and overextended searching trucks
for bombs and the mail for anthrax, have come up with exactly
one suspect. A student who, largely because of Eunice, was
not awarded a scholarship. Bel doesn't believe it's that
simple, and she realizes that the police may not be doing all
they can to find the killer. She decides to investigate,
both in the academic world, and in the less-familiar world of
strip clubs.
This is the first novel I've read by this author, and it won't
be the last. Bel is a very engaging character. She's
real, logical, pragmatic, emotional, and as confused as the rest
of us. The subplot concerning Sol, and the aftereffects of
9/11, is never overpowering, but very moving. There are no
easy answers or quick fixes; the characters here are as affected
by the attacks as the readers. The mystery is involving,
the victim and her circumstances are unique, but not used for
cheap sentiment. This is part of an on-going series, but
first-time readers will find themselves immediately drawn into
Bel's world. I'll be looking forward to more from Bel; and
I'll be looking for her previous books as well. |
Reviewed by Deborah
Hern
Rating:
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