November Hunt
By Jess Lourey
ISBN:
978-07387-3136-0
A 2012 269 page TP release
From Midnight Ink
Books
The eleventh novel in her
Murder By The Month series brings sometime librarian-cum-private investigator
Mira James squarely up against some respected town leaders. Mira is angling to
become a licensed P.I. and needs many hours of supervised investigation in order
to qualify. Given that her account in the local Battle Lake bank is flatter than
the pancakes served at the local eatery, she has two powerful motives to take on
the investigation of a local philanthropist and business man’s murder by his
long time buddy.
November in Minnesota can be
cold. Not only does the weather provide impediments, so do many of the town’s
citizens, but Mira perseveres against bone-cracking cold and icy stares. The author is a good writer and the story is
enhanced with clever characters, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek
dialogue.
The series is known for the
self-deprecating insouciance of the main character and her slightly twisted
outlook on life. The danger of this kind of approach is in going over the cliff.
Sometimes the impact of a really powerfully crafted scene can be lessened by the
odd verbal swipe.
The plot is well designed
and while there are few large surprises, the author spins this tale tightly and
nicely to its conclusion with the aid of several interesting and amusing
characters. This edition contains a
series of discussion questions which can be useful to book
clubs.
In the spirit of full
disclosure, I note that the author and I are long-time
acquaintances.
--
Carl Brookins
www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com,
Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky
