Sleight of Hand (Barbara Holloway Series #9) » (Reprint)

Kate Wilhelm has published numerous novels as well as collections of short fiction. Kate and her husband, Damon Knight, live with their family in Eugene, Oregon.

Gregarious Vegas entertainer Wally Lederer has a lucrative showbiz career, but when a childhood friend accuses him of stealing a valuable artifact, his checkered past comes back to haunt him. Wally claims he's turned his life around since spending time in the slammer for picking pockets, but will the police believe him? More important, does Barbara believe him when he pleads his case to her?

Wally swears he's innocent. But when his accuser 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 before long new evidence points toward an unlikely killer. Now Barbara must decide if protecting her client by revealing the truth will destroy another life she means to save.

Publishers Weekly

At the start of Wilhelm's compelling eighth novel to feature DA Barbara Holloway (after 2003's Clear and Convincing Proof), Wally Lederer, a former pickpocket who once served jail time, has retired from a successful Las Vegas stage career and returned home to Eugene, Ore., with his devoted wife, Meg, only to be accused of the theft of a valuable antique by an old childhood friend, Jay Wilkins. When someone kills Jay with a blow to the head, the police charge Wally, who turns for help to Barbara and her team. Their investigation unearths secrets about Jay and his family that will force Barbara to make a challenging ethical decision. The fast-paced plot, marred only by Barbara's inability to deal effectively with her relationship with her boyfriend, leads to an exciting trial with closing arguments sure to delight any legal-thriller fan. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.