In Plain Sight

It's raining in Syracuse. Amateur sleuth Robin Light half-wishes her pet store, Noah's Ark, would just get up and float away—,business is that bad. A client finally comes calling—,only to wind up dead a few days later. . .floating in the local reservoir. If there's one thing Robin's sure of it's that Marsha Pennington didn't kill herself. Not when the dead woman's malicious husband was fighting for custody of Marsha's beloved twin Shih Tzus. Fueled by her diet of junk food and Scotch, and with some much-needed help from her ex-cop friend George Simpson, Robin searches for the link between the woman's murder, a runaway student, a bookie, and an incredible epidemic of bats. But for Robin, it's already too late. She has been marked for certain extinction by a vicious killer who waits. . .in plain sight.From Publishers WeeklyAlthough Syracuse pet store owner Robin Light (seen last in Twister) complains that business is off, she spends little time at Noah's Ark Pet Shop in this third in the series. A former neighbor, teacher Marsha Pennington, who has filed for divorce, asks Robin to investigate the suspicious tax returns of her husband, who is suing for custody of her two shih tzus, dogs he despises. Before the two women can meet again, Marsha's body is found floating in a reservoir outside town. Although the police rule the death a suicide, Robin, who has involved her friend George, a former cop, in the case, is convinced it is murder and resolves to find the killer. Meanwhile, a high school principal, one of the pet shop's regular customers, asks Robin to look for a missing student whom he wants to help before the girl gets into deeper trouble. At the same time, area residents are calling the store for help in removing bats from their homes while a shady exterminating company hawks attic sound systems meant to prevent the pests' return. As Block labors to unite her story lines, the action bounces unevenfully from problem to problem. Only Robin's unflappable common sense and practicality will keep readers turning pages. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalBlock's fictionalized Syracuse includes pet store owner Robin Light, whose concern for animals sometimes leads to sleuthing (Twister, Kensington, 1995). This time, former friend Marsha wants Robin's help in fending off her estranged husband, who wants custody of Marsha's beloved dogs. Before Robin can follow through, Marsha winds up dead (and the dogs stuffed). Another friend, meanwhile, would have Robin locate a missing illegal alien. Snappy prose and animal antics accompany a lively plot. For most collections.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.