Characters And Themes In Patricia Smiley's Novels

Patricia Smiley is an American author best known for writing the Tucker Sinclair series of novels. The Tucker Sinclair series features Tucker Sinclair a management consultant who finds herself embroiled in murder mysteries necessitating that she become an amateur sleuth. Her other series of novels is the Pacific Homicide series of novels that is still ongoing. Smiley was born in a Washington, in a small agricultural town where her mother taught her to love books. It was during her childhood that she fell in love with books particularly mysteries while she was reading the adventures of Trixie Beldon. When she was older, she graduated to the likes of Christie, Chandler, and Hammett before she went to college majoring in drama and graduating with
When we are introduced to Tucker in the first novel in the series, she is set up for a crime she did not do, forcing her to go into amateur sleuthing to redeem her reputation. Just as she is looking to get back her reputation, someone is murdered and she is suddenly roped into the investigation. She is a strong and feisty female who always seems to run into all manner of trouble, which she nevertheless takes in her stride. Many of the elements of the novels are based on real life happenings and settings in the life of the author. For instance one of the stories is inspired by an actual case about a woman who was found dumped in a sewer that the author went on to research and write a story about. The setting in Los Angeles also inspires the setting of her Pacific Homicide series. Growing up the author had always hear of the sometime questionable or unfair discipline meted out by the top LAPD brass on their juniors, and these elements make their way into the experiences of Davie Richards. Her police procedural series features Davie Richards a strong and determined woman whose experiences mirror the author’s work with the LAPD, when she worked for five years in the LAPD’S detective squad
Sinclair believes that she is on her way to making partner at her law firm when she is suddenly woken from her reverie by the news that the firm is being sued for some work she had done. She had written some very honest business evaluation report for some Dr. Polk, which had resulted in some of his investors claiming his company, had lied to them. The investors are now suing to get their money back threating the doctor’s business survival. Tucker thinks it a small matter that she could quickly resolve, until the original report goes missing and Pol turns up dead. She now needs to find the report and save her career while she is in the sights of a demented killer. The novel is a fun read for anyone who loves a novel set in Los Angeles as it places the lead all over Los Angeles and provides vivid description of daily life of a range of Los Angeles