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Review of THE BAD WITNESS by Laura Van Wormer (visit the Laura Van Wormer website)
MIRA, 2002
Television producer Sally Harrington is called as a witness in a murder trial. While on the stand, the prosecutor tries to make Sally seem a complete slut--and completely untrustworthy. Meanwhile, her life is confused, with her longstanding relationship going nowhere and a much younger cop suddenly looking better and better. Add an attack heliocopter and a hit and run assault on Sally and her cop-date, and you have a woman with real problems.
THE BAD WITNESS is a strange book. There really isn't much of a mystery in it. Much of the story is actually back-story, as one witness after another steps up to tell of what happened in the earlier Sally Harrington novel TROUBLE BECOMES HER (see our review of TROUBLE BECOMES HER). Strangely, though, it works. Author Laura Van Wormer (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Laura Van Wormer) delivers a well-written and compelling page-turner.
Put on the spot as a 'bad witness', Sally Harrington emerges as a sympathetic character. Although she continues to look at every twist of fortune as an opportunity for news coverage and more money for Sally, this behavior has become understandable and even admirable. Sally may be a BAD WITNESS, but she makes for an interesting and fun character.
Four Stars
Reviewed 11/15/02
Purchase THE BAD WITNESS from Amazon.com (hardback).