The Unbidden TruthKate Wilhelm |
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 2/13/2010 |
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Carol Fredericks is a drifter, a wanderer around the country. Her parents died in a car crash and she was put in foster care when she was eight. Her foster mother quashed any fantasy life or past memories she thought she had. She was the daughter of an itinerate trucker. Now she travels around taking care of herself. After losing a job in Las Vegas due to a argument with a customer, she follows a friend up to Eugene. There she gets a job as a pianist in a bar. Although she never had any formal training that she can recall, she hears music and can then play it well. The owner of the bar where she plays has been harassing her, making suggestions that she tried to avoid. She finally reported him to the management, but since the man was the owner, her complaint was buried. Then the man is found dead in his hotel suite. Patrons of the bar had seen her outside with him after the end of her show. Carrie is arrested for his murder A woman approaches Barbara Holloway and offers to pay for Carrie's defense anonymously. Barbara talks to Carrie, then decides to take on the case. Carrie says that yes, the man tried to stop her the night before and they talked as she got into her car. Then she drove home and went to bed. But one couple is sure they saw her enter his suite. One thing that bothers Barbara is Carrie's lack of memories of her real family before the car crash. The doctors diagnoses it as PTSD. She visits Carrie's foster parents. The more she digs, the more she knows there's a mystery. Barbara also feels that Carrie's forgotten past may be connected to the trial now in the present. There's a possibility that Carrie's life may be endangered if she does remember before she was eight. Kate Wilhelm has kept these Barbara Holloway mystery novels fresh and strong. Her characters are crisp and real. I could feel Carrie's frustration as she grasped for her past and fought her own inhibitions about it. In The Unbidden Truth Barbara's personal life is continued as she has more personal decisions to make. While these decisions are a small side story compared to the main one, they add to the overall strength of the book. The mystery is fascinating. As bits and pieces are revealed it becomes more complex. Admittedly, by the end the reader has a good feel for what will happen, but some of it is still a shock. Wilhelm is able to keep the courtroom scenes fresh as well. The different facets that come together also are a good, but not in your face annoying, social commentary about illegal aliens and smuggling. The Unbidden Truth will pull you right in and keep you there. You don't have to read these novels in order, and this one stands very well on its own. What a delightful serious mystery series this is! |
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Barbara Holloway Series:
Death Qualified |
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