When a bloody painting is found hanging on a café wall, Benny James is summoned by the local police department. As a retired FBI detective now working as a private investigator, he remains a major player when it comes to peculiar murder scenes and cracking clues.
Tracking down the killer with Officer Vernon Kearns, the partners find bizarre art pieces that lead them to discarded bodies. As the … bodies. As the list of suspects grows, a couple of artists living in a broken down plantation house piques their interest. One of the artists has the odd habit of taking on the personalities of others. The other has a secret she is desperately trying to hide.
Vernon’s detective skills mature as he and Benny rendezvous with another eccentric cast of characters, new and old. For the small town in Georgia this may be the most important case of Benny’s life as the town teeters on fear’s edge.
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O loved the characters. The story was very interesting. Read it super fast one of the books you hate to put down.
Entertaining. Quirky characters.
Just can’t seem to get into it and keep putting it down.
good with a surprising ending
Not bad, but not fantastic. Good characters, well described.
too much of a cozy mystery for me…..kept thinking I would put it down and not finish it, but i read to the end and wondered why. There was a little twist, but not sure it was worth it.
This story was slow moving. Dragging in places. Story not very realistic. Hard to keep reading.
Benny James, a retired FBI agent, came to the town of Tilly, Georgia to settle down and relax on his new houseboat. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in one mystery after another. He works with Vernon Keane, a police officer far more adept at solving crimes than the Chief of Police Charles Neighbors. A painting painted in blood suddenly appears in Rene, a bar and restaurant, named for and owned by a woman named Rene. The painting’s clues lead them to find the first murder. Subsequent paintings containing similar clues suddenly appear and lead them to other murders. Readers try to figure out who is the artist and murderer. We become so involved with the happenings that we cannot put the book down. I highly recommend it, especially if you see yourself as a problem-solving quasi-sleuth.
Engaging characters, intriguing mystery, good use of humor and sense of place. Overall a very good read.
Did not expect the ending.
A good read. The characters gave it a little of everything. A entertaining book to spend the evening with.
I liked the small-town regional setting of the story. Characters were interesting and engaging and the ending surprised me. I’d read this author again.
An great original story, driven by well-developed, mostly lovable characters! Funny and light, a real page-turner.
Similar to Travis McGee books as far as protagonist. Murder mystery set in a sleepy Florida town; retired FBI agent helping out understaffed local police; unusual murders; a plethora of suspects and well written.
Entertaining characters- decent mystery.
An off the wall mystery.
A fun read.
exciting story line.
While it wasn’t suspenseful it was entertaining. Surprise killer.
Tried but Could not get into this book.