Suzy Perry, a lovely, accomplished older woman, has married into a new family in Westchester County, NY, after being widowed not long before in Atlanta. Her new husband, Dean Perry, is besotted with her, but his son, Alex, and daughter-in-law Lisa are troubled by how little they know about her. Who is she?Little by little, clues and tidbits of information persuade Alex that he needs to know more. … more. As the questions pile up, Alex, a journalist, elects to hire a private detective to probe Suzy’s past, without informing his father. Over time, it becomes clear that Suzy changed her name when she moved to Atlanta – and that she had been married for many years to a car dealer in Missouri who died suddenly shortly before she left.Is all this innocent, or something more sinister? Once circumstantial, the evidence becomes more concrete – and then Suzy is on the run.
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I received a free electronic ARC of this mystery from Netgalley, Jeffery Marshall, and Dog Ear Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this mystery of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Undetected to friends and family. It is a quirky tale, partly southern, that is a fast, compelling read.
Suzy is a well-kept, wealthy older woman setting up house in New York with her latest husband. Dean Perry is aware of the death of Suzy’s former husband in the Atlanta area, but he is enchanted with Suzy. His deceased spouse died after a long bout with Alzheimers and dementia – the future looks much brighter now with Suzy by his side. Dean has a couple of grown kids and some grandkids, Suzy has a couple of step-kids, also grown and on their own, and the world is honestly their oyster. There is nothing that can hold them back. Except for the possible murder of her late husband… husbands?
Undetected by Jeffrey Marshall is a thrilling crime mystery novel that grabs you in the opening few pages and refuses to let go until it’s reached its thrilling conclusion.
Marshall expertly begins to ramp up the tension and the mystery as the novel’s central plot unfolds and you will find yourself unable to put the book down. The book’s opening is particularly absorbing as Marshall sets up the rest of the novel perfectly.
His complex and well-developed characters are what really keep the book going though and they only get more interesting as the novel goes on. The pacing of the book is perfect and he unwraps all of the central mysteries perfectly, leaving you guessing until the very end of the book.
The book is ideal for those who enjoy romantic crime novels, especially books like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Paula Hawkin’s Girl on the Train. The book’s page-turning narrative makes it the perfect book for a weekend getaway.
Tina/Suzy is one femme fatale you don’t want to mess with… She’s cunning, she’s slick, and she’s bad, bad, bad. She has married twice before, all to men with hefty sums at the bank and such. Who can blame these men? She’s gorgeous, she’s refined, and she’s got the skills of a great partner in marriage. Her third husband, Dean, is unsuspecting and a kind man who is also endowed with the dollar signs that she often looks for in a potential husband. But not to Dean’s son Alex and his wife Lisa and two children. To them, Suzy is artificial and seems to be hiding something from all of them. Her moves are calculated and her past is mysterious. Only when Alex starts an investigation and hires a professional detective to look into Suzy’s past that they all realize this new woman in their lives is not who she claims to be.
I enjoyed this quick read a lot. Having grown up on thrilling teen reads from authors like R.L. Stine and Diane Hoh and having watched a gazillion similar movies on the dramatic Lifetime channel, I found this book to be quite a joyriding experience. It is fast-paced and the reading level is very simple and easy to navigate. I likened Suzy to the Black Widow character of all films and books where the wife murders her husbands for their money. Suzy grew up in a dysfunctional family and she has a lot of sexual encounters with teenage boys in her youth as well as having been deflowered by her very own father. I felt bad for her and at the same time I was hoping for her to be admonished for her sins, give her the punishment she deserves for being a ruthless man-killer. This book has raised fears such as what if the stepmother your father is married to is really a killer because no one knows where she came from and where he picked her up from after mom died a time ago. I am not in that situation but I am wondering about those who are…anyway, this book is just what it is, a fictional tale written from the imagination of another human being just like you or me. All I am going to say for now is that it was a good book and I will not provide any more spoiler alerts because then I might ruin its appealing suspense.
There is something strange about his new stepmother Suzy Perry and Alex is determined to find out what it is. Dean, his father is in awe of his new wife, but Alex and his sister Lisa are perplexed at how this widow from Atlanta has suddenly implanted herself right in the centre of their lives in New York. As a journalist, Alex’s natural investigative instincts kick in and after a few remarks from his new stepmother don’t add up, he hires a private investigator to look into her past. When he discovers her first husband died suddenly and mysteriously, Alex’s concern for his father grows. Is Suzy Perry a black widow ready to take her next victim, or is Alex worried over nothing?
‘Undetected’ by Jeffrey Marshall is a fast-paced thriller with compelling characters, no more so than Suzy Perry. She is so hard to figure out, you will be wondering just like Alex, what her motives are. You will be kept guessing, right up until the ending. A very engaging and engrossing read.
This story was quite interesting as you know who the killer is, but it is how she got away with it that is really interesting. A woman “rights the wrongs” done to her by her husband by killing. It worked the first time, so when she remarried and it happened again…she does what she did the first time. This makes her a very, very wealthy woman. Then she remarries for the third time to Dean Perry. Dean’s son isn’t happy with ‘Suzy’s’ lack of history and hires a private investigator to look into her past. This is where her world starts to crumble. How? You will have to read the book to find out. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, and I gave an honest review.
Arizona author Jeffrey Marshall earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton and his masters in Journalism from Northwestern. Having retired from a lauded career as a journalist, he now writes poetry, a business book on community reinvestment, and two novels – LITTLE MISS SURE SHOT and now UNDETECTED.
Creating a solid suspense novel requires latching on to the reader’s attention within the initial pages. Jeffrey manages this with aplomb as he designs the central character of this story in the opening lines: ‘She could almost smell the inside of the motel before she went in. With its whitewash fading and the vacancy sign missing an “n”, it would have the scent of cheap disinfectant and perhaps a slight mustiness. Suzy Perry remembered that smell, but it had been years since she’d experienced it. She never thought she’d have to revisit it, but things were desperate now, she was on the run, and she had no choice. Enjoying the comforts of an upscale motel was out of the question. She had left Rye in mid-morning, steering the Mercedes was across the car-choked George Washington Bridge and into New Jersey…’ Offering this information that induces suspicion allows the background of the mystery to flow forward.
One fine plot synopsis increases curiosity – ‘Suzy Perry, a lovely, accomplished older woman, has married into a new family in Westchester County, NY, after being widowed not long before in Atlanta. Her new husband, Dean Perry, is besotted with her, but his son, Alex, and daughter-in-law Lisa are troubled by how little they know about her. Who is she? Little by little, clues and tidbits of information persuade Alex that he needs to know more. As the questions pile up, Alex, a journalist, elects to hire a private detective to probe Suzy’s past, without informing his father. Over time, it becomes clear that Suzy changed her name when she moved to Atlanta – and that she had been married for many years to a car dealer in Missouri who died suddenly shortly before she left. Is all this innocent, or something more sinister? Once circumstantial, the evidence becomes more concrete – and then Suzy is on the run.’
Tightly spun and rich in character individualization and sculpting, UNDETECTED is a very fine new novel by an author who obviously understands the impact of journalistic precision in defining a ‘report’ – this one being a keen mystery. Jeffrey Marshall is a writer to watch, and this suspense thriller is one terrific evening’s read! Recommended.
Dean Perry has recently married Suzy Perry. The family doesn’t know much about her, as she’s very secretive about her life before. Dean’s son and daughter are becoming troubled and concerned about their father.
Suzy unknowingly lets a few little things drop and Alex, Dean’s son, gets that little feeling in his gut that something is seriously wrong. Being a journalist, he listens to his gut …and then hires a private investigator to look into her past.
What he discovers does not put him at ease.
When it comes to crime fiction, I always look for at least some credibility in the story telling. Sadly, I found none here. The ending was convoluted and I felt the author didn’t quite know how to end it .. so it just hangs there. I was hoping for more and it just didn’t quite make the cut. It was a great start .. but fizzled.
Many thanks to the author / Dog Ear Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of UNDETECTED. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.