One Must Wait

Carole Ann Gibson #1

by Penny Mickelbury, Unknown Author

One Must Wait, the first book in what is certain to be a new series about African American defense attorney Carole Ann Gibson, starts as she labors to convince a jury that her client, a Washington, D.C., cop named Tommy Griffin, really is innocent--unlike most of the criminals she gets off the hook. Carole Ann's husband, Alain Crandall, works for a corporate law firm with even nastier clients, especially an outfit called Parish Petroleum. Carole Ann and Al decide to quit their jobs and find some area of the law that they can stomach, but Al is killed in a mugging shortly after announcing his intentions. When a sympathetic cop looking into the mugging is shot in the back and paralyzed, Gibson realizes that something more than street crime is involved in her husband's death. Following Al's footsteps into the Louisiana swamps, Carole Ann untangles threads of oil, blood, and money. Fortunately, Penny Mickelbury is such a subtle and imaginative writer that she can take this venerable genre cliché and turn it into an extremely moving and exciting journey of ethnic and moral discovery.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Mickelbury is a former newspaper, radio and television reporter based primarily in Washington, D.C. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, she lives in Los Angeles. The novelist and former journalist also is an accomplished playwright whose work has won awards. Two of her Mimi Patterson/Gianna Maglione novels are Lammy finalists. She is the recipient of the Audre Lorde Estate Grant, and she had a residency at the Hedgebrook Women Writers colony.

Reviews

[Dottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book may have been one of the earlier signs that I was moving back into reading mysteries. I really need to go check out others of this possible series as this was a fine and powerfully involving story.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the first in the series for this author. It was just ok-not sure if I am going to get the next in the series. It wasn't until the 2nd half of the book, when the true "meat" of the story happened.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alert! Fine new series character is born! This is not Micklebury's first book but it is the first in this series featuring Black, criminal defense attorney, Carol Ann Gibson. Carol Ann and her husband, Al, have a fabulous life under control. They are both crack attorneys in highly successful careers but nearly simultaneously they realize that something is missing. It's time to reevaluate and make some life changes. They both decide to quit their jobs. And the next day, Al is brutally murdered on the street. Carol Ann's life change turns into finding out why. The plot is good but the characters are marvelous. I cannot wait for the second of this series and hope there are many more.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read but a bit hard to follow at times. I did like Carol Ann. I’d never heard of “environmental racism”.... very horrific thing. But I did like the way things turned out. I got to admit I did get back on track once the author backtracked and filled in the blanks. I’m not sure if I am going to continue the series but I did like it well. Can’t say much about it without blowing the plot.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope to read more of these - well written, good characters.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Penny Micklebury's work.