Author: Steven Tingle
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 15, 2024)
Description: A former private detective with a penchant for trouble stumbles into a deadly conspiracy that puts him in a killer’s crosshairs in this witty crime novel, perfect for fans of Timothy Hallinan and Janet Evanovich.
Former police officer turned private detective Davis Reed is taking refuge in the mountains of Cruso, North Carolina, after a run-in with a biker gang dealt him an unfavorable hand. When respected real estate agent Prentiss Wells is killed by an errant golf ball, Davis has no reason to suspect it wasn’t an accident. But then a wealthy couple hires him to prove the death was murder and catch the killer. In desperate need of cash, Davis takes the job.
While Davis investigates who had the motive to kill Prentiss, Elizabeth Harper, an accountant who stirs butterflies in Davis’s stomach, uncovers a tangled mess of shady real estate deals linked to Prentiss’s firm. As the case garners media attention, Davis must carefully navigate a minefield of secrets and lies.
With the help of his friend Dale Johnson, a local deputy whose mood changes with the wind, and Dale’s cousin Floppy, a mad-genius, motor-mouthed mechanic, Davis sets out to uncover a mystery that runs much deeper than he thinks.
My Thoughts: Davis Reed is busy sitting on his porch, looking at the mountains, drinking beer, and not writing the book he said he was going to write when his friend Deputy Dale Johnson calls him to go look at a body. Prentiss Wells was playing golf with his buddies when he was apparently struck and killed by a golf ball. At first, everyone is willing to write it off as just a weird accident.
But when a local rich, eccentric couple who like to play detectives hires Davis to prove that the death was murder, Davis who badly needs the money since his settlement with the Charleston Police Force is tied up in legal wrangling decides to look into things.
There are a lot of questions. First, why was the foursome playing that course when they were members of a different country club? Second, does the death have anything to do with an accidental death from 1988 when Wells struck and killed a young burglar?
As Davis, a former private investigator, looks into things with the help of both Dale and Dale's eccentric cousin Floppy, he uncovers a lot of local secrets and connections between the characters. From what really happened in 1988 to a real estate scam being perpetrated by the other members of Wells' foursome, secrets are gradually revealed.
I enjoyed Davis's character. He is smart but also suffers from anxiety and maybe a bit of depression. He is still getting over the first case he solved when he came to Cruso, North Carolina, and is still concerned with being the target of a motorcycle gang whose illegal activities he, Dale and Floppy uncovered.
My favorite character was Floppy who is eccentric, a motormouth, and something of a mechanical genius.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
A new book for me. Thanks for the review.
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