Trading Places
Though the plot may bring to mind that familiar comic classic,The Parent Trap, the twins in this talky tale are motivated byjustice, not love. Unfortunately, the scheme that Michaels's (AboutFace, etc.) bumbling protagonists cook up is so absurd and slapdashthat readers will be hard-pressed to suspend their disbelief. WhenAtlanta Detective Aggie Jade and her clever canine, Gus, wind up inthe hospital after a drug bust gone awry, she deduces that she was setup. She knows three cops within her department are involved in a drugring, but how many others are on the take? Instead of turning toInternal Affairs, Aggie calls in her twin, Lizzie, a wealthyprofessional gambler who allegedly has an "agile brain," and proposesthat Lizzie pose as her while she recovers in Pittsburgh. Lizzieagrees to ferret out the bad guys with the help of hunky reporterNathan Hawk, but things get out of hand quickly when her life isthreatened. The bulk of the book is told through colorless dialoguerather than action, which renders the plot and characters flat. Inaddition, the story rushes to its climax only to give way to along-winded conclusion. That said, it's hard not to share in theprotagonists' jubilation when the bad guys are finally brought down.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.