Ure, Louise 1952(?)–

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Ure, Louise 1952(?)–

PERSONAL: Born c. 1952; married. Education: Graduate of University of Arizona, Dijon University, and American Graduate School of International Management. Hobbies and other interests: Rescuing golden retrievers, racing vintage racecars.

ADDRESSES: Home—San Francisco, CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Mysterious Press, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Account manager with an advertising agency for twenty-five years.

WRITINGS:

Forcing Amaryllis (mystery novel), Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Louise Ure's debut mystery novel, Forcing Amaryllis, is "a surprisingly tender tale of sisterly vengeance," noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. As a trial consultant, thirty-three-year-old Calla Gentry's job involves scouring pools of potential jurors for individuals who will be most sympathetic and advantageous to her firm's clients. Though her job is often physically and emotionally draining, Calla endures it for the sake of her sister, Amaryllis, who remains in a coma ever since attempting suicide seven years earlier after a vicious rape that was never reported or solved. Calla ekes out a living while making sure Amaryllis is as comfortable as possible.

Though Calla specializes in jury selection for civil cases, a personnel crunch mandates that she take on a criminal trial. The client, Raymond Cates, is the son of a wealthy Texas rancher and is on trial for the rape and murder of a women he met in a bar. As she delves into the case, Calla begins to suspect that Cates is not only guilty of the murder he is currently defending himself against, but that he may also be the shadowy attacker who nearly killed Amaryllis. Despite her personal conflict—how can she construct an effective and sympathetic jury when she believes Cates is guilty?—she continues on with the case and begins digging deeper into the arrogant defendant's background. Assisting her are Anthony Strike, a handsome private investigator and potential romantic interest, and a coterie of old friends with connections in the right places. Even though other suspects arise, including one who matches a victim's identification but who has an alibi, a distinctive physical feature of Cates's becomes a recurring theme in the cases Calla researches. This lends greater credibility to her suspicions of his guilt. With a desperate need for closure of her sister's case, and with the cold flame of revenge still burning, Calla continues her investigation until she, too, is put in mortal danger.

Ure compares the job of the trial consultant with that of the advertiser and marketer. "In marketing and advertising we have to define the target audience—figure out which people are most likely to buy the product," she stated in an interview on her home page. "That's the same thing a jury consultant does. He finds the juror who is most likely to agree with his client's story and point of view."

"Ure is that rare and unusual author who knows exactly what is required in the construction of a mystery story, and her first novel is a prize," commented Alan Paul Curtis on the Who Dunnit Web site. The book "provides a thoughtful look at rape victims, showing how even women's well-honed instincts about men can fail," observed reviewer Oline H. Cogdill in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. As Library Journal reviewer Rex E. Klett commented, "The story plays out with increasing intensity but has a surprising twist." Another reviewer on the Who Dunnit Web site stated that Ure "not only knows how to structure a mystery, but writes it well and maintains our interest throughout." Forcing Amaryllis "will provide you with enough suspense to keep you going and make you want more," concluded Andrea Sisco on the Arm Chair Interviews Web site.