Fatal Deduction
Gayle Roper
Reviewed
by Mary Lydon Simonsen, author of Pemberley Remembered
Fatal Deduction is the story of
twins, Libby and
Tori Keating. Although
identical in appearance, they have
nothing in common and have never gotten along.
Their Aunt Stella hoped to change that when she left her Philadelphia townhouse with three
floors of
valuable antiques to the sisters in her will on the condition that they
co-habit for six months. As a single
mother with a 13-year old daughter, Chloe, Libby has little choice in
the
matter because she needs the money while Tori agrees to the arrangement
out of
pure greed and spite.
Also new
to the neighborhood are Drew Canfield and his 13-year old daughter,
Jenna. Jenna and Chloe become fast
friends, and
their friendship brings Libby and Drew together. Both
have been hurt by previous relationships,
but because of their faith in God, they have managed to keep it
together and to
raise their daughters by themselves.
Things
get off to a roaring start when Libby walks out her front door and
finds a dead
body with the words TORI written on a folded piece of paper with a
crossword
puzzle on the back. When the puzzle is
filled in, it is clear that someone is sending her sister a message. Libby has reason to believe that the threat
is real because her sister works at an Atlantic City casino, and her
boyfriend makes
his money as a predatory lender with lots of unhappy customers who
can’t repay
their loans. Tori receives additional
threats, and because Libby is her identical twin, she fears that her
life, and
that of her daughter, might be at risk if she is mistaken for her
sister.
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The
author has created an array of complex characters.
Even though the neighbors play a small role
in the novel, they are likable and provide a nice break from the
tension
created by Libby and Tori’s strained relationship.
Because Libby is an antiques dealer living in
a house full of antiques, a lot of interesting information about
finding,
buying and selling valuables is included.
The
mystery of who is threatening Tori is well plotted and has an exciting
conclusion. Several interesting subplots,
including who fathered Chloe, corrupt policemen, and Drew’s unhinged
ex-wife,
keep the story moving along at a nice pace.
However, the heart of the story is the relationship between Tori
and
Libby. Tori is truly the evil twin. She takes every opportunity to make her
sister miserable, including trying to lure her niece away from her
mother by
buying her things that all teenagers have on their wish lists. She does not have one redeeming virtue, and if
it weren’t for her sister’s personal relationship with God, it would be
hard to
believe that she could live with Tori for six days no less six months. I think that Fatal
Deduction would
have been better served if Tori had been the least bit likable or if
Libby had
been less of a pushover. In the end, you
are happy that Libby and Chloe will be better off because of their time
in Philadelphia, but you can’t wish
the same for
Tori.