Eddy, Pamela 1956-

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EDDY, Pamela 1956-

PERSONAL: Born January 19, 1956 in Waynesburg, PA; daughter of Michael and Dolores Eddy; married Bill Rubin (an attorney). Education: University of Pittsburgh, graduated (with highest honors) 1978; George Washington University, J.D. (with honors), 1981.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Five Star, 295 Kennedy Memorial Dr., Waterville, ME 04901. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Attorney and writer. Admitted to the Bar of the District of Columbia; practiced law in Singapore, Tokyo, and Japan; Covington & Burling (law firm), London, England, former associate; writer, 1996—.

WRITINGS:

Killable Hours, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Pamela Eddy quit a career as a successful attorney to become a writer, because, as she told Heidi Price of the Observer-Reporter, "there's just something about seeing your name on Amazon." Eddy was employed by the London firm of Covington & Burling, where she worked with foreign companies who hoped to introduce products into the European market and became expert on labeling requirements, standards, weight conversions, and other details critical to such ventures. Her legal experience carries over into Eddy's debut mystery, Killable Hours, described by a Kirkus Reviews contributor as "perfect for those who hate lawyers and love chocolate."

The protagonist, American attorney Amy Brown, works for the London firm of Winter, Worthington & Walker, but doesn't get along with her cranky boss, Daniel Benedict Blake. He is past retirement age and fills his days making life miserable for everyone in the office, including Amy, who he fires on a regular basis. On one of these occasions, Amy takes him seriously and leaves him a note of resignation, immediately after which she learns that she is pregnant. Her husband begs her to reconsider, so that she will have medical insurance and maternity leave, and Amy goes into the office and retrieves the note, but also finds Daniel dead. The police rule it suicide from an allergic reaction to chocolate containing nuts. Amy doesn't buy it, however, since Daniel had always been careful to avoid food which was dangerous to him. She finds evidence that he was tricked into eating the confection, and a list of suspects develops.

Harriet Klausner, who reviewed Killable Hours for BookBrowser online, wrote that "the cast is strong and the plot engages the audience from start to finish."