Preview of There Was a Little Girl Summary:

There do not seem to be any overriding themes, like the decline of the city in the 87th Precinct series, which threads through the Matthew Hope books. More of the focus is on the personal desires and human failures of a few characters set against the background of the palmy Florida landscape.

With the tighter focus, however, McBain is able to probe more fully the psychology of his characters and to push more heavily on motivation. Also, he is able to explore more fully such things as family connections and local history and the interconnection between the two.

There Was a Little Girl begins with Hope lying in a coma as a result of being shot by someone who had set up an appointment with him in connection with a real estate deal Matthew is working on for a small local circus. As he is examining the particulars...