From Publishers Weekly
Miami lawyer Gail Connor (Suspicion of Deceit), 34, is tough and aggressive ("the only recourse," she says, "is to be a bigger s.o.b. than the next guy"), and as this gripping, dark story unfolds, it's easy to see why somebody is out to get her. Divorced and in a custody battle with her combative ex-husband for their 10-year-old daughter, Karen, Gail is about to be married to Anthony Quintana, a top criminal lawyer from a powerful Cuban-American family that may have ties to organized crime. Gail is also handling a nasty divorce case for Jamie Sweet, whose husband, Wendell, has shady business dealings that might link Quintana to some illegal businesses in Colombia. Gail begins to get menacing phone calls and her car is vandalized. Then Karen is threatened with a grisly death. Who is responsible? As the threats mount and her law practice threatens to spin out of control, Gail begins to have serious doubts about both her ex-husband and Quintana. With a fine combination of romance, cultural clashes and police procedure, plus some razor-sharp portraits, this story develops into a riveting thriller whose only flaw is that the author may tip her hand a bit too early. Author tour. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A prominent lawyer who has just left one of the biggest Miami firms to open her own office, Gail Connor is used to stressful situations. She's in the middle of a nasty divorce and bitter custody battle, has moved into a new house that needs major renovations, and is engaged to another well-known Miami lawyer. As if this isn't enough, a stranger is calling Gail and threatening her 11-year-old daughter's life. Parker (Suspicion of Deceit, LJ 1/98) has written another suspenseful story that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Despite some slow patches, it's intriguing enough to be recommended for all public libraries.-AStacey Reasor, ITT Technical Inst. Lib., Tampa, FL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
How can you tell that Miami lawyer Gail Connor is being lied to again? Because her ears are open, as they are to no avail throughout this fourth round of her legal-cum-domestic travails. At first Gail thinks the metallic-sounding voice threatening her over the phone must belong to Payton Cunningham, the neighborhood kid she chased out of her yard after he kissed her daughter Karen, 11. But would a teenager really identify himself as Death, send her doctored photographs threatening Karen and herself, as well as roses offering condolences for Karen's (nonexistent) death accompanied by a card signed by Gail's murdered sister Renee, or decapitate Karen's pet kitten? No kid could have such an animus, Gail decides. But if the perp isn't Payton, who is? The field of apparently innocuous men surrounding Gailmen who suddenly reveal potentially murderous depths beneath their smiling surfacesis worthy of Mary Higgins Clark. There's Wendell Sweet, the oilman husband who's doing his best to divorce Gail's earthy client without leaving her a cent. There's Simon Yancey, the disgruntled victim of a mortgage foreclosure Gail handled years back. There's Charlie Jenkins, the contractor who magically turned up one day to work on restoring the house Gail's purchased with her fianc, well-connected Cuban attorney Anthony Quintana (Suspicion of Deceit, 1998). There's Hector Mesa, the sinister friend and courier to the Pedrosas, Anthony's wealthy family. And for good measure, there's Anthony himself, looking awfully hot-headed now that there's pressure on his bride-to-be, and Dave Metzger, Gail's ex, who's bobbed up from his Caribbean sojourn to sue Gail for custody of Karen. All right, the real culprit isn't worth a second shudder. Until the disappointing denouement, though, Parker piles on the menace with all the smooth efficiency of the storied Pedrosas. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Attorney Gail Connor is on top of the world. She's engaged to the man of her dreams, criminal lawyer Anthony Quintana; they've bought the house of their dreams in beautiful Coral Gables; and Gail finally has her dream job-- her own private law practice. But then her 11-year-old daughter Karen starts receiving odd, hangup phone calls and creepy notes and photos in the mail. Could it be Gail's jealous ex-husband Dave? A disgruntled former client? Someone from Anthony's shadowy past? While Anthony and Dave clash violently over how to protect Gail's daughter, the stalker closes in. Then Karen is abducted, and Gail's world is shattered. Nothing matters now-- not her success, her wedding, her new home, her new practice-- not without her daughter. As they track Karen's tormentor, they must walk that dangerous line between action and caution, and deliver justice without fail...and without mercy.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Attorney Gail Connor is on top of the world. She's engaged to the man of her dreams, criminal lawyer Anthony Quintana; they've bought the house of their dreams in beautiful Coral Gables; and Gail finally has her dream job-- her own private law practice. But then her 11-year-old daughter Karen starts receiving odd, hangup phone calls and creepy notes and photos in the mail. Could it be Gail's jealous ex-husband Dave? A disgruntled former client? Someone from Anthony's shadowy past? While Anthony and Dave clash violently over how to protect Gail's daughter, the stalker closes in. Then Karen is abducted, and Gail's world is shattered. Nothing matters now-- not her success, her wedding, her new home, her new practice-- not without her daughter. As they track Karen's tormentor, they must walk that dangerous line between action and caution, and deliver justice without fail...and without mercy.

FROM THE CRITICS

Jeri Wright - The Mystery Reader.com

Suspicion of Betrayal is fast-paced, smooth, and suspenseful. The stalker's motives and identity remain a secret even as Gail does her best to find out who hates her so intensely. Barbara Parker does tell a gripping story....Readers who have followed Gail through the first three books in the series may be disheartened, as I was, by the events in Gail's personal life, and by the somewhat open-ended conclusion.

Publishers Weekly

Miami lawyer Gail Connor (Suspicion of Deceit), 34, is tough and aggressive ("the only recourse," she says, "is to be a bigger s.o.b. than the next guy"), and as this gripping, dark story unfolds, it's easy to see why somebody is out to get her. Divorced and in a custody battle with her combative ex-husband for their 10-year-old daughter, Karen, Gail is about to be married to Anthony Quintana, a top criminal lawyer from a powerful Cuban-American family that may have ties to organized crime. Gail is also handling a nasty divorce case for Jamie Sweet, whose husband, Wendell, has shady business dealings that might link Quintana to some illegal businesses in Colombia. Gail begins to get menacing phone calls and her car is vandalized. Then Karen is threatened with a grisly death. Who is responsible? As the threats mount and her law practice threatens to spin out of control, Gail begins to have serious doubts about both her ex-husband and Quintana. With a fine combination of romance, cultural clashes and police procedure, plus some razor-sharp portraits, this story develops into a riveting thriller whose only flaw is that the author may tip her hand a bit too early. Author tour.

Library Journal

A prominent lawyer who has just left one of the biggest Miami firms to open her own office, Gail Connor is used to stressful situations. She's in the middle of a nasty divorce and bitter custody battle, has moved into a new house that needs major renovations, and is engaged to another well-known Miami lawyer. As if this isn't enough, a stranger is calling Gail and threatening her 11-year-old daughter's life. Parker (Suspicion of Deceit, LJ 1/98) has written another suspenseful story that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Despite some slow patches, it's intriguing enough to be recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/98.]--Stacey Reasor, ITT Technical Inst. Lib., Tampa, FL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Jeri Wright - The Mystery Reader.com

Suspicion of Betrayal is fast-paced, smooth, and suspenseful. The stalker's motives and identity remain a secret even as Gail does her best to find out who hates her so intensely. Barbara Parker does tell a gripping story....Readers who have followed Gail through the first three books in the series may be disheartened, as I was, by the events in Gail's personal life, and by the somewhat open-ended conclusion.

Kirkus Reviews

How can you tell that Miami lawyer Gail Connor is being lied to again? Because her ears are open, as they are to no avail throughout this fourth round of her legal-cum-domestic travails. At first Gail thinks the metallic-sounding voice threatening her over the phone must belong to Payton Cunningham, the neighborhood kid she chased out of her yard after he kissed her daughter Karen, 11. But would a teenager really identify himself as Death, send her doctored photographs threatening Karen and herself, as well as roses offering condolences for Karen's (nonexistent) death accompanied by a card signed by Gail's murdered sister Renee, or decapitate Karen's pet kitten? No kid could have such an animus, Gail decides. But if the perp isn't Payton, who is? The field of apparently innocuous men surrounding Gail—men who suddenly reveal potentially murderous depths beneath their smiling surfaces—is worthy of Mary Higgins Clark. There's Wendell Sweet, the oilman husband who's doing his best to divorce Gail's earthy client without leaving her a cent. There's Simon Yancey, the disgruntled victim of a mortgage foreclosure Gail handled years back. There's Charlie Jenkins, the contractor who magically turned up one day to work on restoring the house Gail's purchased with her fiancé, well-connected Cuban attorney Anthony Quintana (Suspicion of Deceit, 1998). There's Hector Mesa, the sinister friend and courier to the Pedrosas, Anthony's wealthy family. And for good measure, there's Anthony himself, looking awfully hot-headed now that there's pressure on his bride-to-be, and Dave Metzger, Gail's ex, who's bobbed up from his Caribbean sojourn to sue Gail for custody of Karen. All right, thereal culprit isn't worth a second shudder. Until the disappointing denouement, though, Parker piles on the menace with all the smooth efficiency of the storied Pedrosas. (Author tour) .