McBain, here, introduces a new character, the Florida lawyer Matthew Hope, and an almost voyeuristic take on criminal investigation. Hope is not a criminal lawyer - his professional life revolves around divorce settlements, personal injury claims, insurance negotiation, and the boring mundanity of small town, holiday resort society.

His personal life, meanwhile, is a chaotic medley of angst, infidelity, insecurity, and a struggle to convince himself that lies and insincerity can be reconciled with his self image as a basically decent and honest man.

His life of deceit is shaterred by the murder of a client's wife and children. Can he believe in the man's innocence? Can he believe in any of the tales he is told? McBain exposes the undercurrents of adultery, duplicity, and betrayal which permeate the apparently still, polite waters of a Florida seaside resort.

This is the first in a series of Matthew Hope adventures which offer a new spin on the themes of fairy tales. "Goldilocks" is about the invasion of happy family homes and the casual sexual game of musical beds, breaking up domestic tranquility and leaving children with shattered lives.

McBain tells a good, enrapturing tale, the plot dynamics of unravelling the whodunnit interspersed with wry commentary on the social and sexual mores of modern society.

Matthew Hope is a flawed character with whom the reader can identify. (Follow his misadventures in "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Beauty and the Beast".) In a world of fairytales, Hope is no knight in shining armour, but rather a witness to the confessions of others: his own frailties bequest upon him a sceptical skill in unravelling the fabrications and outright perjuries and weaving together a truth which delivers a moral about immorality.

McBain, here, introduces a new character, the Florida lawyer Matthew Hope, and an almost voyeuristic take on criminal investigation. Hope is not a criminal lawyer - his professional life revolves around divorce settlements, personal injury claims, insurance negotiation, and the boring mundanity of small town, holiday resort society.

His personal life, meanwhile, is a chaotic medley of angst, infidelity, insecurity, and a struggle to convince himself that lies and insincerity can be reconciled with his self image as a basically decent and honest man.

His life of deceit is shaterred by the murder of a client's wife and children. Can he believe in the man's innocence? Can he believe in any of the tales he is told? McBain exposes the undercurrents of adultery, duplicity, and betrayal which permeate the apparently still, polite waters of a Florida seaside resort.

This is the first in a series of Matthew Hope adventures which offer a new spin on the themes of fairy tales. "Goldilocks" is about the invasion of happy family homes and the casual sexual game of musical beds, breaking up domestic tranquility and leaving children with shattered lives.

McBain tells a good, enrapturing tale, the plot dynamics of unravelling the whodunnit interspersed with wry commentary on the social and sexual mores of modern society.

Matthew Hope is a flawed character with whom the reader can identify. (Follow his misadventures in "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Beauty and the Beast".) In a world of fairytales, Hope is no knight in shining armour, but rather a witness to the confessions of others: his own frailties bequest upon him a sceptical skill in unravelling the fabrications and outright perjuries and weaving together a truth which delivers a moral about immorality.

McBain, here, introduces a new character, the Florida lawyer Matthew Hope, and an almost voyeuristic take on crimnal investigation.

Hope is not a criminal lawyer - his professional life revolves around divorce settlements, personal injury claims, insurance negotiation, and the boring mundanity of small town, holiday resort society.

His personal life, meanwhile, is a chaotic medley of angst, infidelity, insecurity, and a struggle to convince himself that lies and insincerity can be reconciled with his self image as a basically decent and honest man.

His life of deceit is shaterred by the murder of a client's wife and children. Can he believe in the man's innocence? Can he believe in any of the tales he is told? McBain exposes the undercurrents of adultery, duplicity, and betrayal which permeate the apparently still, polite waters of a Florida seaside resort.

This is the first in a series of Matthew Hope adventures which offer a new spin on the themes of fairy tales. "Goldilocks" is about the invasion of happy family homes and the casual sexual game of musical beds, breaking up domestic tranquility and leaving children with shattered lives.

McBain tells a good, enrapturing tale, the plot dynamics of unravelling the whodunnit interspersed with wry commentary on the social and sexual mores of modern society.

Matthew Hope is a flawed character with whom the reader can identify. (Follow his misadventures in "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Beauty and the Beast".) In a world of fairytales, Hope is no knight in shining armour, but rather a witness to the confessions of others: his own frailties bequest upon him a sceptical skill in unravelling the fabrications and outright perjuries and weaving together a truth which delivers a moral about immorality.