this was a quick and easy to read little mystery that wasn't spectacular but was also not bad. it was enjoyable and the solution was not obvious. we didn't get a lot of character depth, but what we saw i liked. it was easy to keep reading and pick up when i had to put it down. i'm not sure i'd go and read the entire series or anything, but i wouldn't mind reading another.

the only thing that really bothered me (the homophobia was appropriate for 1988 when it first came out) was this discrepancy in how terry treats sybil and how we're supposed to feel about it and him, and how sybil and carol treat each other and how we're supposed to feel about it and them. so for example, terry is smarmy and gross and always insisting that sybil does what she doesn't want for him (from calling him to having sex with him) and we get that he's terrible and stalking her and awful. when carol says to sybil that she doesn't want sybil to kiss her but sybil does anyway, we're supposed to be ok with that because we know how carol feels. but really, sybil is doing the same thing (i mean, ok, not as drastic and disgusting) as terry is doing, but we aren't supposed to look at it the same. maybe in 1988 i wouldn't have, and it's not a huge deal, but i wish people would be less likely to just dismiss the bad behavior of people we like while castigating people we don't like for similar behavior. (end rant.) oh, and i don't believe that carol would have slept with a suspect, not even if she didn't believe she was guilty. she wouldn't have risked her career like that. but in the end these are minor quibbles. it's a decent (simple, not complicated) mystery. ( )