Sleight of Hand

Barbara Holloway #9

by Kate Wilhelm

Gregarious Vegas entertainer Wally Lederer hasn't always enjoyed the attention of center stage--something he learned about himself over thirty years ago when he was in the slammer serving time for picking pockets. He claims he's turned his life around, and his lucrative and legitimate showbiz career seems to support this. But will the police believe he's a changed man now that Jay Wilkins, a childhood friend, is accusing him of stealing a valuable artifact? More important, does respected attorney Barbara Holloway believe him when he pleads his case to her? Wally swears he's innocent. There's no way he would jeopardize years of hard work for the fleeting thrill of minor deception. But when Jay is found murdered, Barbara knows Wally is in serious trouble--the police have named him as their prime suspect.

Barbara begins to "dig up the dirt" and is shocked to learn that Jay's wife is now missing--and that Jay himself was far from being the upstanding businessman he claimed to be. Before long, new evidence points toward an unlikely killer, and Barbara must decide if protecting her client by revealing the truth will destroy another life she means to save.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Legal Thriller, Crime, Murder Mystery

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kate Wilhelm’s first short story, “The Pint-Sized Genie” was published in Fantastic Stories in 1956. Her first novel, MORE BITTER THAN DEATH, a mystery, was published in 1963. Over the span of her career, her writing has crossed over the genres of science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy and magical realism, psychological suspense, mimetic, comic, and family sagas, a multimedia stage production, and radio plays. She returned to writing mysteries in 1990 with the acclaimed Charlie Meiklejohn and Constance Leidl Mysteries and the Barbara Holloway series of legal thrillers.

Wilhelm’s works have been adapted for television and movies in numerous countries; her novels and stories have been translated to more than a dozen languages. She has contributed to Quark, Orbit,  Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, Locus, Amazing Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine,  Fantastic, Omni, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan.

Kate Wilhelm is the widow of acclaimed science fiction author and editor, Damon Knight (1922-2002), with whom she founded the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and the Milford Writers’ Conference, described in her 2005 non-fiction work, STORYTELLER. They lectured together at universities across three continents; Kate has continued to offer interviews, talks, and monthly workshops.

Kate Wilhelm has received two Hugo awards, three Nebulas, as well as Jupiter, Locus, Spotted Owl, Prix Apollo, Kristen Lohman awards, among others. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2009, Kate was the recipient of one of the first Solstice Awards presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) in recognition of her contributions to the field of science fiction. 

Kate’s highly popular Barbara Holloway mysteries, set in Eugene, Oregon, opened with Death Qualified in 1990. Mirror, Mirror, released in 2017, is the series’ 14th novel.

Reviews

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:

Currently on Audible Plus

I like the way the author has Barbara strive for her vision of justice & feel the daggers of discomfort from how she goes about getting it. Hopefully, the next novel will have more about Barbara's process & how she ends up dealing with her inner conflict.

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wally Lederer had been accused and had served time in jail for theft. Five years later, he was freed and vowed to never go back to his old stealing ways. He promised his wife he'd change, because if he failed, Meg would readily divorce him.

Over the years, he'd kept to his promise and lived a good, clean life as an entertainer. One day, he chanced upon an old friend, Jay Wilkins and the two had a drink in his friend's home. Things didn't go well between the two when Jay accused Wally of stealing his golden horse statue. So he asked for his friend Frank Holloway's help about this matter, but the old man refused, said that he no longer practiced criminal defense. His daughter Barbara stepped in.

When they were about to prove Wally's innocence, Jay Wilkins was soon found dead - murdered. And every finger pointed to Wally, given his history and recent fight with the victim. Was Wally guilty as charged? Or not?

I've read a couple of Barbara Holloway novels before and as always, the author Kate Wilhelm reminds me of my favorite author Sidney Sheldon. Her novels always makes my brain work like that of a CSI detective. I tend to analyze every detail, doubt every character, look for loopholes, determine the suspect and in the end, be surprised with the twists.

Somehow, I was able to easily identify with Barbara Holloway, the lawyer because she strive hard to help innocent people and uphold their interests and integrity. Her relationship with her father was also something to look forward to. Wally, on the other hand, was commendable for his determination to change. I liked that he was able to prove that not all ex-convicts were destined to go back to prison over and over again.

But more than that, I was moved by the grace, directness and humor of Kate Wilhelm's writing and world building. Sleight of Hand is another suspense mystery that's sure to make you think deeper and deeper as you enjoy devouring the pages, from start to finish.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Wilhelm consistently delivers an intriguing case along with interesting courtroom drama. I really enjoy the Barbara Holloway series because the major characters, her father, her partner and other minor characters continue from book to book. The primary relationship between Barbara and her father, himself a lawyer has had its ups and downs, but Frank supports her legal work. I guess you could read this as a stand-alone, but you would miss the nuances between Barbara and a possible love interest. My suggestion: start from the beginning of the series

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery and courtroom drama.

[Shawn Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disabled woman with the mentality of a child. An indifferent father who makes unreasonable demands of everyone around him. An unhappy current wife who finds common ground with the ex-wife. A stage magician and former pickpocket who finds himself ensnared in a drama beyond his expectation when he's finally trying to reward his long-suffering wife for her loyalty with the farmhouse of her dreams. It's a formula designed to ensnare Barbara Holloway, a trial lawyer who not only wants to win the case for her clients: she wants to do the right thing, protect the innocent, punish the guilty, and can't help but becoming emotionally involved on all fronts. Luckily she has a great support system, including her wise father, sympathetic staff, and grateful former clients she's helped out of their former dire predicaments. Her long-suffering quasi-boyfriend Darren, however, has the patience of a saint, as she pushes him away everytime he draws close. This one is full of memorable and distinct characters.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough book to rate, the characters and dialog are good, but the murder and Barbara's case are so bad as to be laughable. The "case" against her defendant was nonsense, no cop would make the arrest, and no prosecutor would file the charges on such non-evidence. And, in the end, Barbara's moral dilemma was meaningless - any good lawyer would have presented the evidence, and offered to help the real killer. The shame of it is that I normally like Wilhelm's work, and this one could make me quit scouring the used book stores for her stuff.

[Pgchuis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book disappointed me, as I have really enjoyed previous ones in the series. There was no suspense here, as we found out who did it about half way through (and that was a complete cop-out). Barbara did things which were unethical and so potentially damaging to her client that I would have her struck off myself. And what was all that with the saintly Darren?

[Mary Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Wilhelm continues to deliver good mysteries using her Barbara Hollaway character. In this novel Barbara is challenged by what she has to do to get her client freed from a murder charge. There are several plot strands, but they all come together and support each other. I really like this series.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the first boyfriend had to be gotten rid of because he wanted Barbara to take breaks from her obsessive way of working cases.
The second boyfriend had to be gotten rid of because he was also a lawyer, and even though they got along great, there was no passion.
Now, we're getting rid of the third boyfriend -- why???? He's perfect. He understands her obsession and doesn't attempt to make her change. He's content to stand in the background and follow her around and worship her without making any demands. He's even willing to forego marriage even though he wants it because he knows she doesn't want to be married. In short, he's a total wimp, but no. Even he's not right.

These books are very well written. The story have several interesting story lines, the mysteries are great, and the dialogue is very good, but the author would've done well to just leave all relationship stuff out of the books as it really does ruin the whole story.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, great find in the library. The author was on a list provided by the library and I had read or heard of the others but not Ms Wilhelm. Like the story, the characters and the court drama. She struggled with an issue of who killed the person and how did this happen. She proceeded how she thought it would be the “right” thing to do and not what was legal. That doesn’t happen very often. A rich snotty guy was murdered and a guy he hadn’t seen since high school was blamed for it. The prosecution had a weak case but you never know with a jury.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series. It is one of go-to audio book series. I like all the regular characters and the cases they work are interesting. I love the relationships between all the people in Barbara's life and I find them relatable.

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I actually read this before. In any case, it was an enjoyable book that I did nor mind reading again. I like this series a lot. Some stories are very complicated with many moving parts and characters. This was a little simpler, but a good one all the same.

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio version of this book was disappointing, in that the female narrator assumed an irritatingly deep voice for the main male character. Other than that, the plot was pretty good but the overall impact wasn't memorable. Not enough depth of character in the protagonist, I think.

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Barbara Holloway legal mysteries (they're all good, just some even better). Once again it is the courtroom scenes that really stand out and move the plot along. Very good.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it up to the trial but then it seemed to drag. I was expecting more—not sure what—so thought the end was a bit anticlimactic.

[Nancyelvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but was very disappointed at the decisions made by the main character.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot how good this series is.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get into this audiobook. I ended up fast forwarding after listening to 3 files. It was repetitive and I didn’t love the narrator’s voice.

[Leslie McNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilhem just gets better with each book, while her main character, Barbara, endures more internal struggles. She's brilliant as a criminal defense attorney, but her life, in her mind, is a mess.

[Timelord Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real nail-biter of a case/trial. Ends on a bit of a personal cliffhanger (case resolves).

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept my interest. Guessed the real culprit early on but didn't find out until closing chapters.
DD@Phila

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, though I think this one could have used a little more editing. Seemed a bit repetitive.

[Aloha4Ever · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 2.75. Not my favorite of the series.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circumstantial case with moral dilemma for Barbara -

[Betsy]

Barbara Holloway Series, Book 9

[Jenn Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been devouring all the Barbara Holloway books and this one didn't disappoint.

[Polwanderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler




Good book and well worked out but found it unbelievable that someone would be charged with murder on so little evidence

[Jane Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting mystery and I liked the characters. I might read more of this series.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobk

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY

Not one of my fav's; maybe the original case; stealing a little antique boat:-(

In this book, a walk-in client to Frank Holloway’s office turns out to be a boyhood friend, Wally Lederer who has made a name for himself as a Las Vegas entertainer. Frank represented Wally when he was jailed for theft many years ago. Wally and his wife, Meg, have now moved back to Eugene. Wally and Meg are invited to visit another boyhood friend, Jay Wilkins, and afterward, Jay claims to be missing an artifact and blames the theft on Wally. Frank doesn’t handle criminal cases anymore, so he sends Wally and Meg to his daughter, Barbara Holloway. Soon after they’ve told their story to Barbara, Jay Wilkins is killed, and Wally is arrested for the murder. Then, oddly, Jay’s wife turns up dead, and police believe it a suicide. Barbara does not believe that Jay’s wife committed suicide, but instead, that she was murdered. Barbara represents Wally, but finds out who Jay’s murderer is. How can she defend Wally, who she knows is innocent, and not implicate the real murderer who needs to be protected for other reasons? A very good book with Barbara on the ethics hot seat within herself while representing Wally. If the prosecution is successful and Wally is convicted, then Barbara will have to expose the real murderer along with the information that she knew who it was. This would put her in an ethical bind of not “zealously representing her client” as they say. I had the feeling in this book that Kate Wilhelm might be bringing the Holloway series to an end. In some ways the book was upsetting emotionally. Also, Barbara still has some conflict with herself regarding the fact that her mother gave up a career to take care of her father. Barbara does not want to get married if this would be expected of her as well. A very nice visit with old friends, Frank and Barbara and Shelley, Barbara’s law partner.
***
Gregarious Vegas entertainer Wally Lederer hasn't always enjoyed the attention of center stage--something he learned about himself over thirty years ago when he was in the slammer serving time for picking pockets. He claims he's turned his life around, and his lucrative and legitimate showbiz career seems to support this. But will the police believe he's a changed man now that Jay Wilkins, a childhood friend, is accusing him of stealing a valuable artifact? More important, does respected attorney Barbara Holloway believe him when he pleads his case to her?

Wally swears he's innocent. There's no way he would jeopardize years of hard work for the fleeting thrill of minor deception. But when Jay is found murdered, Barbara knows Wally is in serious trouble--the police have named him as their prime suspect.

Barbara begins to "dig up the dirt" and is shocked to learn that Jay's wife is now missing--and that Jay himself was far from being the upstanding businessman he claimed to be. Before long, new evidence points toward an unlikely killer, and Barbara must decide if protecting her client by revealing the truth will destroy another life she means to save.