4 volumes Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team investigate the murder of respected, though disliked, lawyer Venetia Aldridge. Among the likely suspects is one of her last successfully defended clients, Garry Ashe, a sociopath and murderer who is dating her daughter. Several other suspects turn up, but as a review of the court system reveals, justice is not always served. Homecoming BR 11360 by Belva Plain 1 volume Annette Byrne, eighty-five, has had enough of the estrangement between her two sons and among other family members. She summons them all to her home on a wintry December day.
Tensions are high, and harsh words begin to flow.
Then a near tragedy puts a different light on the day for each of those present. A lengthy, humorous letter to his unknown birth mother describes the life of A.J. Fleger and that of his older brother, Sterling. Sterling's acting career is halted for years after an embarrassing error, and his comeback brings out his own odd birth family. Meanwhile A.J. finally stumbles into a career in child safety and provides Sterling's big break. Now in Dublin, he is hired to write descriptions of Flemish paintings stolen from the same house Freddie once burgled.