Final Paradox: The Second in the OSGOODE TRILOGY

Mary E. Martin
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 0595407609
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (2/07)

Years ago a company called Elixicorp developed a pill that claimed to stave off memory loss and to restore damage all ready done.  Harry Jenkins is an honest lawyer filled with integrity.  George Pappas talked wealthy people in Toronto to invest in the company.  Five million dollars was raised but the money was never seen again.  The shares are much like buried treasure.

Harry Jenkins’ client calls him to change her will.  When he arrives at her home he doesn’t see the witty, intelligent eighty-seven year old Norma Dinnick that he’s always admired.  In her place is a woman that is on the brink of madness.  She’s delusional and paranoid.  She thinks someone is trying to kill her. 

As the story continues it takes some bizarre twist and turns.  Fraud is uncovered concerning the shares of Elixicorp.  The shares are suddenly valuable to everyone, especially to George Pappas, who has mob ties.  The plot continues with murder and suicide.

There is a long list of characters to keep up with in this book.  I finally made a list so that I could keep them straight - Arthur, Archie, Harry, Norma, David, George, Paul, Roger, and Bronwyn.  I’ve probably missed a few.  Mary E. Martin has interwoven the lives of these characters into an intricate plot.  My only criticism was that it was too many characters.  Ms. Martin is a talented author with great ability to spin a tale.  This is not light reading.  It’s not a book you can sit down with and finish in one day.  I found this book to need a lot of concentration time.  That is not meant as a criticism but as a compliment.  “Final Paradox” is not fluff reading.  I recommend it to those that enjoy a good mystery.

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