From Library Journal
The parentage is complex, but the plot should please fans. McNally runs up against a lot of brick walls as he searches for the complete text of Truman Capote's Unanswered Prayers at the behest of a millionaire collector.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Archy McNally, a private investigator who is on the trail of a missing Truman Capote manuscript, finds blackmail and murder instead in steamy South Florida. Hired by a well-known collector, McNally doesn't realize the scandal that awaits. McNally's character combines quips, flirtatious banter, and enjoyable suspense to bring this story to a surprising, but light-hearted conclusion. Boyd Gaines weaves the story and characters with skill, using versatile dialects for the different characters. He portrays husky-voiced, sexy females and hard-boiled criminals with subtlety and humor. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Palm Beach Post
"Such a delightful cad."

Midwest Book Review
A strong novel...intriguing.

Tennessean
Vincent Lardo continues [the] McNally sleuth series in superb style.

Book Description
A mysterious collector, a missing manuscript, and a troika of lovely ladies challenge Archy McNally, south Florida's most famous Discreet Inquirer.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Why would Palm Beach's premier Discreet Investigator need an alibi? Well, the real reason is that his serious (but-not-to-the-point-of-commitment) girlfriend has been seeing a younger and much less marriage-shy man. To keep from brooding over that, Archy accepts a job based on what he knows is a cock-and-bull story about a lady's kiss-and-tell-all diary supposedly stolen by her latest gigolo for the purpose of blackmail. Things have been slow at work, so Archy drives off with $50,000 to exchange for the diary. That's the last thing he rememebers when he wakes up from being knocked out -- and discovers that both the money and diary are gone. Ever philosophical, Archy is ready to chalk it all up to experience ... until he learns that the stolen manuscript is allegedly the original manuscript of Truman Capote's roman ￯﾿ﾽ clef, Answered Prayers, and that Archy's involvement in the case has made him the chief suspect in a murder investigation. Now in paperback, McNally's Alibi is another entertaining look at Palm Beach society and those who'd literally kill to be part of it￯﾿ﾽor at least to part some of its members from their money. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"When Decimus Fortesque, the millionaire collector of wives and rare manuscripts, hires Archy McNally to locate the Holy Grail of missing tomes - the complete text of Truman Capote's Answered Prayers - Palm Beach's premier P.I. uncovers nothing but scandal." "Luscious Claudia Lester claims to have had the manuscript but declares that her lover, Matthew Harrigan, ran off with it; a lover scorned, Harrigan says Claudia is lying. And Rodney Whitehead, a shady antiques dealer, maintains that neither Claudia nor Harrigan is to be believed. When the supposed owner of the manuscript meets with misadventure in a sleazy motel, and Archy awakens in his Miata with a baseball-sized bump on his head, there's no end to the finger- pointing. It's up to the investigating officer, Lieutenant O'Hara, to make sense of the mess, though there's more than a little suspicion that Archy knows more than he's willing to admit about the murder, the manuscript, and its ardent pursuers." To add to Archy's woes, his favorite gal, Connie Garcia, is being courted by the dashing Alejandra Gomez y Zapata, who has vowed to liberate Cuba from Castro and Connie from Archy. But fear not, for should Archy lose Connie, there just might be a fair-haired lass ready to fill the void - so what if she's packing heat? Romance might have to take a backseat until Archy can sort out who's who among this felonious band of ne'er-do-wells and flimflam artists.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Archy McNally is hired by Decimus Fortesque to locate Truman Capote's manuscript Unanswered Prayers and along the way finds scandals and scalawags. Archy discovers that Claudia Lester had the work, but her lover, Matthew Harrigan, took it; Matthew then accuses Claudia of lying. Later the supposed owner of the manuscript is found dead in a hotel, and the detective on that murder, Georgia O'Hara, suspects Archy is withholding information. Archy declines to disclose anything that may interfere with his completing the investigation and receiving his fee. His girlfriend, Connie, is still in the picture, but Georgia adds some intrigue to the romance. Lardo keeps the McNally tales on track, and Adam Henderson's well-paced reading makes this title enjoyable. Recommended.-Denise A. Garofalo, Astor Home for Children, Rhinebeck, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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