FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
This Sharon McCone mystery is a fast-paced, suspenseful story with a dot-com twist. After her brother, the ever-elusive Joey, commits suicide, Sharon agonizes over his wasted life and senseless death. Now Joey's ashes are scattered over the restless sea, and Sharon plans to bury her fury and grief in her work. Unfortunately, she's investigating the death of promising young journalist Roger Nagazawa for an upcoming wrongful-death civil suit. And it hits all too close to home: Like Joey, Roger was an underachiever in a family of overachievers. He'd recently been working at an upscale online magazine called Insite, dedicated to chronicling whatever was new and hip in the Bay Area. His family didn't want to accept the possibility that, faced with the brutal working conditions at Insite -- long hours, cutthroat competition, and outright hazing -- Roger had apparently chosen to leap from the San Francisco￯﾿ﾽOakland Bay Bridge. To her surprise, the more Sharon learns about Roger and Insite, the more she begins to suspect that the young man's suicide might really be a murder -- and more. If she's right, solving this case will be anything but simple. This time, justice will depend on Sharon's ability to come up with the right balance of dot-com expertise, investigative skill, and good old-fashioned nerve as she tracks down a killer who is as cold and calculating as any computer. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sharon McCone has decided to throw herself into work so she can get past her brother's suicide, but the wrongful-death suit she is working on hits too close to home. It's a civil case in which the family of a young 'zine em-ployee claims his suicide was the result of his company's treatment of him. In his final journal entry, Roger Nagasawa describes his fatal plunge from the San Francisco Bridge as being "swept away from sadness." With the help of her friend, J.D. Smith, McCone investigates the InSite offices and soon learns of its publisher's less-than-professional activities. She also learns that Roger had been afraid for his life since he was a witness to computer espionage. Faced with the death of her friend, Smith, and the sudden disappearance of Roger's associate, McCone must keep one step ahead of the game and solve this mystery-or else become the next victim.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Muller and her private eye Sharon McCone have come a long way since Edwin of the Iron Shoes (1977), which introduced McCone and inspired a generation of female mystery writers. Since then Muller's writing has become richer and her novels more complex, with many startling changes in the socially conscious San Francisco detective's life. This is Muller's best yet, with a case that parallels a personal tragedy McCone is trying to understand her brother Joey's recent suicide. Roger Nagasawa, scion of a wealthy Japanese-American family, has killed himself. Roger's heartbroken parents plan to sue his employer, a hip online magazine, for wrongful death because of rumored brutal working conditions. As usual in McCone mysteries, greed and corruption lie beneath the surface. First, Jody Houston, Roger's friend to whom he'd revealed illegal financial activities at the magazine, disappears. Then Max Engstrom, Roger's maniacal boss, tells Sharon that someone is sabotaging his business and one of his backers has vanished. More deaths ensue. After McCone retrieves Roger's computer files detailing his discoveries, she's almost killed. Muller deftly uses familiar devices electronic embezzlement and shady real estate deals in a convoluted but provocative plot. Her love of San Francisco is evident from her vivid descriptions of the city and its history. Although her villains are often obvious, she delves deeply into the human psyche for motivation. Readers will be thoroughly satisfied. (June 19) Forecast: That this Mystery Guild main selection marks the 25th anniversary of the series should attract extra media attention, especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where the author will be making personal appearances. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Muller's 22d Sharon McCone mystery packs plot, personality, and lots of life's messiness into the continuing saga of the San Francisco private investigator. After her brother's suicide, Sharon investigates the puzzling suicide of Roger Nagasawa, the middle of three sons in a wealthy family of Japanese descent. Basing his logic on a successful case in Japan, Roger's bereaved father wants Sharon to find evidence supporting a wrongful death suit against Roger's employer, InSite, a high-pressure dot-com with abusive personnel practices. After gathering information from the family, Roger's apartment, and Roger's friend Jody, Sharon gains undercover access to the InSite establishment itself with the help of her friend J.D. Smith. Webmaster Dinah Vardon, who years before jilted Roger, embodies ruthless, amoral ambition. Sharon shrewdly uncovers why certain people might deliberately undermine the company, as well as an embezzlement and fraud scheme that leads to J.D.'s murder. Subplots and Sharon's introspection add a counterbalance of maturity, intelligence, and emotion to the well-plotted story. Gay couple Ted and Neal, two of Sharon's employees, add humor and humanity. Highly recommended. Michelle Foyt, Russell Lib., Middletown, CT Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews