The Devil's Interval

Maggie Fiore #2

by Linda Lee Peterson

“Impossible to put down. Sparkling dialog, references both musical and literary, and an offbeat cast of believable characters make the pages fly by.”
—Library Journal STARRED REVIEW
Maggie Fiori uses her powers as a journalist to dig into the world of San Francisco's elite after a limo driver is convicted of murdering a socialite. Between managing her sons' soccer practices, saving her damaged marriage, and handling her maddening staff, Maggie fights to prove that the "Limousine Lothario" was guilty of no more than loving his mother.

Linda Lee Peterson is the author of Edited to Death, which introduced readers to San Francisco sleuth and magazine editor Maggie Fiori. A well-known marketing expert, Peterson has also written several nonfiction books and contributed to such publications as the Chicago Tribune.

Genres: Mystery

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kindle and NOOK
mediocre - so forgettable read it twice

female editor of small town magazine works on murder

jewish wife, Italian husband

[Colleen Estep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Fioro is a editor for the San Francisco magazine "Small Town".
She is also one smart lady, living the American dream, soccer mom to two wonderful boy's and wife to Michael, a well respected tax attorney.
As it turns out Maggie is also a astute detective. A year ago she does the unthinkable and has a affair with her boss, who she didn't even particularly like. Then he is murdered and she finds herself trying to solve the murder, clear her name and save her marriage!
And she does it all. Except even though Michael says he has forgiven her their marriage has changed. So now they are seeing a marriage therapist, who definitely gets on Maggie's nerves but seems to be a necessary evil. In the midst of this she reads how death row inmates really need books for their library and gathers up their used books. Before you know it the "New Mom's Survivors Group", a bunch of new mommy attorney's who are going crazy at home have convinced Maggie to help them save and free a inmate on death row. They are convinced he is innocent and after a couple of visits, so is she. Can Maggie figure out who really killed the socialite, save her marriage, do her job and be a mom?
This is a really good read, Linda Lee Peterson writes a great book that is hard to put down! This was a first read of one of her books and she can count me as a committed fan and reader. Thank you to Linda and Goodreads for the opportunity.

[Nancy Kho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not much of a mystery reader but a friend passed this along to me and I'm so glad she did. Linda Peterson is a terrific writer, and did a wonderful job creating multidimensional characters in the person of journalist/amateur sleuth Maggie Fiori, her husband Michael, and the cast of characters who come together to solve the murder of socialite Grace Plummer. As an Oakland resident I loved how the Bay Area played another character in the book; I am left wanting to take my kids on the elevators at the St. Francis and wishing there was a jazz club called The Devil's Interval where I could get a late night drink.

I found the book totally absorbing and look forward to reading more of Peterson's work!

[Emily Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magazine editor Maggie Fiori is approached by a group of attorneys who handle appeals of death row inmates asking that her magazine publish an article about the murder victim. They hope that the article will bring to light new evidence in the case against their client because they believe him to be innocent. Maggie finds it hard to turn away from a good mystery, so she persuades her magazine publisher to do the article. Before you know it, Maggie's husband and even her friends are brought in to help solve the mystery. Intriguing story.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peterson's second Maggie Fiori detective story makes for good reading. A socialite is murdered and a group of women lawyers believe the wrong person was convicted. The story ranges through San Quentin prison, the East Bay and many San Francisco neighborhoods. A sub-plot develops as Maggie and her husband, Michael, cope with marital difficulties. I was taken by the discussion and the interaction of the two. As written by Peterson, the situation and the dialogue was warm, tender and tough. Overall a good read marred only by a few too many complications and sub-threads which lead to wordiness.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love protagonist Maggie Fiori for her smart mouth, sense of humor, and the struggles she faces in her marriage. Her description of marriage therapist had me laughing aloud. The books moved slowly in the second half as there was a repetitiveness in characters, action, plot line. I would like to read the first book by Linda Peterson because Maggie's character is worth investigating further.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like her first book "Edited to Death" I had no idea who the killer was until it was revealed! I enjoyed all the different scenarios and suspects, as information came to light and the mystery unfolded. My only gripe is that I find the main character's husband annoying! They were in couples therapy so I was hoping she would dump him but it doesn't look like that is happening.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[MaryAlice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out as 4 stars - really readable, interesting & perky characters. Set in San Francisco, but as an SF resident, didn't really recognize the city as an integral part of the novel. Not a knock. Just sayin.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, brisk, and engaging, just like its home city of San Francisco. It takes you into the world of San Quentin, Death Row, the San Francisco jazz scene, the society scene, and the legal appeals process, and is a most enjoyable and entertaining read.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a good book! I knew about half way through it who the killer was, but it was fun watching Maggie figure out it out. I'm busy looking for more books from this author.

[Cherise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read! Complex without losing the flow, intriguing depth of characters, and even a bit of steaminess thrown in to liven things up. Love the San Francisco setting too!

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really, really fun to read - loved the characters, loved the main story, loved all the little side stories. I couldn't put this down!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, fun, good writing.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Gave the clues but never got into characters. Nice SF scenes. Would consider another in series. DPL

[Cecile Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting characters and a plot twist that I didn't see coming.