Kindness of Strangers

by Julie Smith

Book Overview

"A BREATHLESS THRILLER . . . Smith pushes her protagonist to the breaking point and the series to a new high water mark of suspense." --Los Angeles Times On temporary leave of absence from the force,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449909379
• ISBN13: 9780449909379
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Steamy New Orleans and vivid characters

Struggling with depression over a shooting from her last case, New Orleans police detective Skip Langdon is forced to take a leave of absence, freeing her to pursue her obsession with mayoral candidate Errol Jacomine in Edgar Award-winner Smith's sixth in the series.Jacomine, a liberal, civic-minded preacher in almost everybody's book, strikes Langdon as a dangerous psychopath. When her initial probes spur a relentless telephone campaign against her, complete with innuendo, slander and heated defenses of Jacomine, even Langdon is taken aback. But not deterred.Smith's narrative weaves among the viewpoints of various characters, giving the reader an inside view of Jacomine's headquarters, civic projects and a converging subplot involving a doomed romance between an unhappy teenager and Jacomine's new press secretary.As Langdon exposes Jacomine's past, the press secretary's misgivings about his boss and his illicit love collide. The climax rushes toward murder and kidnapping, culminating in a harrowing chase through bayou country in the midst of a hurricane.Smith delves deeply into the hearts and psyches of her characters, letting their human motivations drive the plot. Her New Orleans is, as always, a vividly evoked cauldron of beauty, political corruption, cultural richness and steamy heat. Her plot hums with tension but it's Smith's seamlessly perceptive writing that sets this novel apart from the crowd.

Gripping and engrossing

This is less a whodunit than a thriller, since it's clear from the start who the Bad Guy is. But that doesn't make it any less entertaining.It's true, as another reveiwer says, that Skip is less confident in this novel. But to me, this adds rather than detracts. Skip's uncertainty, false starts, and growing fear are realistic, and her sense of doubting her own reality increases the tension in the novel.As often happens when reading series novels, the side plots and secondary characters often are more interesting than the primary puzzle. Smith's teenagers are particularly good -- she seems to me to be that rare adult who hasn't been struck with nostalgic amnesia about the pain of being a 15-year-old girl.Beware, the ending does not "sew up" all the loose ends, so you'll have to be ready to move on to the next one in a hurry!

Skip Langdon meets Evil, Greed and Corruption in New Orleans

Errol Jacomine is running for mayor. Jacomine is a preacher who many hope to be the savior who will unite a New Orleans divided by race, greed and corruption. New Orleans Police Detective Skip Langdon has met Jacomine and can see his evil. On temporary leave from the force, New Orleans Police Detective Skip Langdon becomes obsessed with exposing Errol Jacomine. As she battles an invisible army conspiring to keep his name unsullied we are introduced to more of New Orleans' colorful milieu. Skip is a fragile, complex, tough woman who has the unforgiving and unheralded vocation of serving and protecting a community that oftentimes does not seem to care to be protected.

Never depend on the kindness of strangers

Officer Skip Langdon is back, but she's not quite who she used to be, she's on a leave of absence from the New Orleans Police Department. A recent assignment has left her a bit tattered and torn. She's lost some of her humor and strength, characteristics that made Skip so lovable. Now she's tormented by a new evil, a preacher running for Mayor, that she is convinced is a cold blooded killer. Enter Errol Jaccomine, a charismatic man, leading his flock. His followers are more cultists than parishoners and his expectations of them are way beyond that of a traditional religious leader. And while many see him as a savior for the corrupt New Orleans, Skip sees a sadistic manipulator who just wants more power. Smith has created a complex villian. who we will no doubt see again, as he embodies everything Skip is not. His character is evil incarnate and every scene he is in is at once riviting and repulsive. My reservation is that Skip seems to be losing herself in this latest story and that would be a crime.