Summary and Reviews of Alice in Jeopardy by Ed McBain

Alice in Jeopardy by Ed McBain

Alice in Jeopardy

by Ed McBain
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  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2005, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2006, 384 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem.

Since her husband Eddie's tragic death in a boating accident eight months ago, thirty-four-year-old Alice Glendenning has struggled to maintain a normal life for her two children, Ashley and Jamie. To help make ends meet while she waits for the insurance company to pay up, Alice takes a job as a real estate agent. The commissions have been nonexistent, but she does make a new friend, Charlie Hobbs, when she is sent in to try to buy his waterfront land for a developer.

Things have been tough for Alice, but they quickly become a nightmare when Ashley and Jamie don't come home on the school bus one day, and Alice gets a phone call from a woman claiming to have her children. When the kidnapper calls again and asks for a ransom identical to the amount Alice is due from the insurance agency for Eddie's accident, Alice forgoes contacting the police and instead calls Charlie for help. But as all sorts of people scheme to get their hands on her money, Alice wonders whether anyone can be trusted in her fight for everything she holds dear.

From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem. Ed McBain skillfully weaves together his elegant plot and compelling characters, once again.

Wednesday May 12th
Chapter One

When the same nightmare awakens her, she sits bolt upright in the middle of the bed.

Where am I? she thinks.

And blinks at the bedside clock.

7:15 A.M.

She is instantly wide awake.

"Kids!" she yells. "Jamie! Ashley! Up! We're late! Up, guys!"

She hears grumbling down the hall. Ashley's voice. Jamie hasn't spoken for almost eight months now.

"Guys, are you up?" she shouts.

"Yes, Mom!" Ashley calls.

Ten years old, the elder of the two. Her eyes and her hair brown, like Alice's. Eight-year-old Jamie favors his father. Blond hair and blue eyes. She can never look into those eyes without recalling that terrible day.

She shakes off the nightmare and gets out of bed.



In the shower, she realizes she set the alarm's wakeup time, but neglected to slide the on-off switch to the right. Hurrying to lather, she drops the soap, the heavy bar falling onto the little toe of her left foot. Yelping in pain -- it feels as if ...

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

McBain's latest book (a departure from his 87th Precinct detective series) follows one week in the life of Alice Glendenning; a recently widowed 34-year-old with two young children and a bundle of troubles...continued

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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Media Reviews

Booklist - Wes Lukowsky
Starred review. [McBain is] always very good, usually excellent, and occasionally transcendent. If this were his first novel, we'd anoint him the next great crime novelist of the new century. But since we have more than 50 years of great work on which to judge him, we'll say instead that he's still at the top of his game.

Kirkus Reviews
Starred review...It's pure pleasure watching all these meddling well-wishers fall into their appointed places in McBain's well-oiled plot. The procedural king makes the whole caper look so easy you wonder why all suspense novels aren't this slick.

Publishers Weekly
Starred review. A swift, cleverly plotted story line, sassy dialogue and a well-drawn, resilient heroine make this gripper a hands-down success. As one of our most prolific and talented writers, McBain appears to have struck gold once again.

Publishers Weekly
Starred review. A swift, cleverly plotted story line, sassy dialogue and a well-drawn, resilient heroine make this gripper a hands-down success. As one of our most prolific and talented writers, McBain appears to have struck gold once again.

Reader Reviews

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Beyond the Book



Ed McBain was a pseudonym of Evan Hunter. Born Salvatore Lombino, he clocked up an impressive number of pseudonyms in his 50+ year writing career - during the 50s he wrote eight books under the name Richard Marsten, two books as Hunt Collins and two as Curt Cannon, in addition to starting on his now famous 87th Precinct series under the name Ed McBain. Then in the 1970s he made a brief appearance as Ezra Hannon, and in 1992 as John Abbott. He published more than 100 books which sold more than one hundred million copies, but is best known for the 87th Precinct series - with more than 50 million copies of the more than 50 books in print.

He died of cancer in July 2005. A number of books are expected to be published ...

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