Review: An engaging suspense novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2010
I had read and liked Australian Vicki Tyley's last book, "Thin Blood," and was eager for more.  "Sleight Malice" was even better.  The protagonist, Desley, is heartbroken when her best friend Laura's house burns down and Laura has disappeared.  Desley is the kind of lead character I like.  She's quirky, with enough unique qualities to stand out from the crowd.  Desley's loyalty to her friends and her perseverance in pushing ahead no matter what the obstacle are qualities we should all emulate.Yet Desley is human and has plenty of flaws. She doesn't always anticipate, maybe just ignores, the consequences of her actions.  She doesn't suffer fools lightly.  Desley's tolerance is severely tested when you toss in a potential love interest who's loyalties aren't always clear and a drunkard, ex-husband with his new, younger wife-to-be.As Desley pushes the police to find Laura and, when they're slow with results, starts searching on her own, all of these qualities come into play.  The people she thought she knew best turn out to have secrets she'd have never guessed.  Just as you think you know where the story is headed, you find you were wrong.  It appears when they passed out the latest copies of "The Novelists Formula for Suspense" Vicki Tyley tossed her's in the dustbin.  I'm glad she did.