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Summary
Summary
Ray Lawless, prominent defense attorney and father of Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless, tries his biggest case yet defending an accused serial murderer and arsonist whom the media has dubbed "The Fireman." Ray's client is eventually convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, though he proclaims his innocence to the end, and a few days later, he kills himself in his cell.
But someone in The Fireman's life can't let go, and, blaming Ray for the man's death, plots a meticulous revenge. Both Jane and her brother Peter, who is already under terrible stress because of a troubled marriage, feel the heat of the avenger's plan.
But Jane is intimately familiar with danger, and she's never been one to shrink from a fight. With the help of her best friend Cordelia, Jane sets out to discover why this person is so determined to undo her family. When she begins to dig into The Fireman's life, the puzzle unravels, leading Jane to a final confrontation with someone bent on making the Lawlesses pay, perhaps with their lives.
Immaculate Midnight is a taught, dynamic installment in an award-winning series.
Author Notes
Mystery author Ellen Hart was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August 1949. She received a B. A. in Theology from the Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. She writes the Jane Lawless and the Sophie Greenway series. Five of the Jane Lawless books have won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery. She has also won the Minnesota Book Award for Best Crime Fiction twice. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her life partner.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A promising new relationship gives Jane Lawless, Minneapolis restaurateur and occasional sleuth, the courage to finally deal with the boxed-up possessions of her long-dead lover, Christine, in this shrewd and consistently entertaining whodunit. Real estate agent Christine's last clients belonged to the wealthy, eccentric Simoneau family, three of whose members were murdered just before her death. After interviewing the convicted killer, Jane is convinced of his innocence and even more curious about Christine's involvement. She finds more than a few skeletons in the closet when she seeks answers from the pair of bickering survivors still inhabiting the decaying Simoneau family mansion. Meanwhile, Jane offers her trust and support to a young photography student who's a doppelganger for Christine. The photographer's timely appearance is all too coincidental for the suspicious Cordelia, Jane's best friend, who adds her sharp tongue, audacious fashion sense and investigative assistance. Cordelia's sometimes overzealous protectiveness comes in handy when the long-hidden true killer surfaces. Hart (An Intimate Ghost, etc.) delivers vivid, off-the-beaten-track characters and enough clues and layers of intrigue to keep the pages turning. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Booklist Review
Are we boats in a current ceaselessly bearing us into the past? The latest of Hart's sleuthers featuring lesbian restaurateur Jane Lawless seems to re-pose Nick Carraway's big question. Jane has long been mourning lover Christine's 1987 death, but a promising relationship with Kenzie means it's time to move on. While cleaning out the virtually untouched boxes of Christine's things, Jane discovers a gun in the dead realtor's briefcase, recalling a time when Chris had been selling a house for the wealthy, eccentric Simoneaus, three of whom were murdered the night before her death. Further exploration unearths ghosts from the past and revives Jane's yearning for Christine, which intensifies when she meets young photographer Greta, a dead ringer for the dead lover. Hiring the look-alike to document the rehabbing of a new theme restaurant Jane is developing seems natural. Longtime friend and sidekick Cordelia objects, but does Jane listen? Of course not, much to the gladdening of established and new Lawless fans everywhere. --Whitney Scott Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Years after the death of her partner, real estate agent Christine, Minneapolis restaurateur/sleuth Jane Lawless (An Intimate Ghost) finds a gun among her belongings. The night before Christine died, three members of the family whose house she was selling were murdered. Could there have been a connection? A fine series addition. Hart lives in Minnesota. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.