Clear And Convincing Proof

By Kate Wilhelm

When attorney Barbara Holloway takes a case, there's no middle ground: it's her rules, her way. Now, as she finds herself at the helm of a complex defence involving the murder of a man everybody loathed, all she needs is what she most lacks clear and convincing proof.

The Kelso/McIvey rehabilitation center is a place of hope and healing for its patients and for the dedicated volunteers who work there. For beautiful Annie McIvey in particular, it's a sanctuary from her cruel husband; and for directors Naomi and Greg Boardman it's the culmination of a lifelong dream. But it's a dream about to be destroyed by Annie's husband David

A brilliant surgeon, an implacable misogynist, a man whose ego rivals his skill with a scalpel, David McIvey plans to close the doors on the centre's good work and good people, replacing it with a state–of–the–art surgery with him at the helm.

So when David's body is discovered outside the clinic early one morning it's no surprise to anyone, especially Barbara Holloway, that somebody dared to stop him in cold blood

Now Barbara must use her razor–sharp instincts and take–no–prisoners attitude to defend the two members of the clinic about to stand trial for his murder. Annie McIvey and Darren Halvord are accused of having an affair and plotting to kill David but Barbara believes a more complex motive lies at the heart of the crime. In order to expose it, she is forced to explore the darkest hiding place – the soul beneath the skin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781743698020

Kate Wilhelm

Kate Wilhelm's first novel was a mystery, published in 1963. Over the span of her career, her writing has crossed over the genres of Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, fantasy and magical realism; psychological suspense, mimetic, comic, and family sagas, a multimedia stage production, and radio plays. Her works have been adapted for television and movies in the United States, England, and Germany. Wilhelm's novels and stories have been translated to more than a dozen languages. She has contributed to Quark, Orbit, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Locus, Amazing Stories, Asimov's Science Fiction, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Fantastic, Omni, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan. Wilhelm and her husband, Damon Knight (1922-2002), also provided invaluable assistance to numerous other writers over the years. Their teaching careers covered a span of several decades, and hundreds of students, many of whom are famous names in the field by their own rights today. They helped to establish the Clarion Writer's Workshop and the Milford Writer's Conference. They have been the guests of honor and panelists at numerous conventions around the world. Wilhelm continues to host monthly workshops, as well as teach at other events. She is an avid supporter of local libraries and participates in fundraisers when she is able to.

Reviews for Clear And Convincing Proof

[joycepa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of Wilhelm's legal mysteries series, featuring Barbara Holloway, a lawyer in Eugene, OR. Past books in the series have featured excellent courtroom or courtroom-related drama, but not in this book--the plot never goes beyond the investigative stage.The book starts out slowly as do all the books in this series, as Wilhelm sets the stage. In this book, a universally hated neurosurgeon is murdered and there is a large cast of suspects. Wilhelm does bring back Frank, Barbara's father, who, unfortunately, does not play as prominent a role as in previous novels. That's too bad, because Frank's idiosyncracity really enlivens the series. Barbara is dating the latest in a string of losers; the story brings her in contact with yet another potential lover.After getting through the back story, the pace of the book picks up considerably. The denoument is satisfying although a crucial clue--pages of a diary--remains problematical in its discovery. If you can get beyond that, an entertaining read.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Barbara Holloway is a defense attorney in Eugene Oregon. She has gone through several different phases of "lawyering" but seems to be settling down to criminal defense in her father's venerable law firm. While she sometimes chafes at being in the family firm, she does enjoy her father's company and advice.Normally Wilhelms's Holloway stories revolve around Barbara's taking on impossible cases and finally proving the accused to be innocent, etc etc. Here we are presented with a very different quandry. Barbara is hired by the Board of Directors of a non-profit clinic to find out whether or not one or both of two different people associated with the clinic are guilty of murdering one of the clinic's Directors. The identity and conviction of the guilty party(s) is ultimately going to decide whether the clinic will continue in existence. It's a somewhat confusing and convoluted scenario that demands the reader pay close attention to the strands of who did what, and when and to whom. In addition, Barbara must then face the decision that she will be called upon to defend a client she has been hired to prove guilty!!!The story resolves itself well with a very surprise ending, but not before taking us on the usual Kate Wilhelm roller coaster of blind alleys, red herrings and fun.