False Pretenses

Rocky Mounatin News

Full of twists and turns that guarantee enjoyment.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Neither Lincoln Center nor Wall Street comes across with credibility in this first hardcover novel by the author of 18 Regency and historical romances. Set against the glittering Manhattan world of corporate finance and performing arts is a shifting population of heroes and villains, white knights and charlatans. Barely acquitted of her elderly husband's ice-pick murder, pianist Elizabeth Carleton struggles to rule his financial empire, developing unusual alliances while learning firsthand about hostile takeovers. Although confronted by vicious in-laws rivaling the Borgias in their skill for blackmail and betrayal, Elizabeth thrives surrounded by attentive and attractive men. A trusted bodyguard guides her through the intricacies of acquisition politics, an acquaintance made during a European junket becomes her confidant and she is later squired by a mysterious and wealthy psychiatrist who perjured himself to assure her acquittal. Elizabeth's trials pose as a romantic mystery thriller but the book suffers from stilted dialogue and equally awkward descriptions of violent confrontations and sexual couplings. Non sequiturs concerning affirmative action and safe sex merely accessorize the dated formula, reminiscent of a TV saga. ( October)

Library Journal

Elizabeth Xavier Carleton is a beautiful, talented concert pianist who is married to a much older, extremely wealthy man. She comes home one night to find her husband lying on the floor of his study, a leather-handled ice pick in his chest. Of course, being the heroine of a romance novel, she tries to pull it out before it dawns on her that old Timothy is dead as a doornail. With her prints on the murder weapon, the circumstantial evidence is pretty bleak, so the tabloids condemn her as that gold-digging murderess, Elizabeth X. But help is at hand. A surprise witness at her trial provides her with an airtight alibi, and the jury acquits her. But Elizabeth has never seen this man before in her life. Can she trust him? Is he the murderer? Coulter's first foray into contemporary suspense is a corker of a story, with fast-paced plotting, engaging characters, and snappy dialog. Nicola Amos shows expertise in her character differentiation and her pacing. An excellent choice for public libraries; enthusiastically recommended.--Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Thanks to the testimony of a mysterious stranger, concert pianist Elizabeth Carleton is found not guilty of the ice pick murder of her elderly megamillionaire husband, Timothy. Subsequently, Elizabeth battles his greedy relatives while struggling to run Timothy's business ventures. Along the way she falls in love with a ``real man.'' At tale's end, Elizabeth has a climactic confrontation with the mysterious stranger and, at the same time, solves her husband's murder. A hardcover first novel by the author of 18 romance paperbacks, this entertaining formula tale is best suited for larger collections of light or popular reading. Its appealing cover should also encourage browsing. Ed. James B. Hemesath, Adams State Coll. Lib., Alamosa, Col.