After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who’s not playing with a full deck . . . When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the … and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies.
She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she’s ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police.
Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it’s time to up the ante before she’s the next one to go down . . .
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Synopsis:
After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who’s not playing with a full deck . . .
When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies.
She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she’s ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police.
Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it’s time to up the ante before she’s the next one to go down . . . (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Wendy is smart, inquisitive and persistent and I liked her inner drive. When there is multiple murders in her small community, she knows that she has to investigate. Curiosity is in her DNA and she cannot help but want to solve the mystery. It may help her in her career also. I enjoyed getting to know her and her friends and family.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. One thing I found unique about this book is that the murders take place right in the first chapter and there are multiple victims. The author is very talented in creating suspense with the written word. There were a lot of twist and turns and at times I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. The ending was surprising and just another example of that rollercoaster ride.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I will definitely look for the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
The Rosalie Bridge Club, whose members are the wealthiest ladies in Rosalie, hopes to win the grand prize at the upcoming Mississippi Bridge Player’s Duplicate Championship. The ladies of the Bridge Club are Miz Liddie, Miz Sicily, Miz Bethany, and Miz Hanna. They have been a close knit group for many years. They earned the nickname as the Gin Girls, based on their love of the beverage and their college escapades. The ladies have a routine they follow with a coffee toast before they play bridge.
Miz Liddie requested the housekeeper, Merleece, to bring the ladies their coffee for their ceremonial toast and to ensure it was not too hot. While preparing the drinks, Merleece was constantly being pestered by Arden Wilson, the young gardener. Shortly after delivering the coffee and returning to the kitchen, Merleece and Arden heard Miz Liddie frantically ringing her service bell and rushed back in to see all four of the ladies choking and gagging. Merleece had Arden call 9-1-1, but it was too late – all four ladies died, having been poisoned with cyanide.
Wendy Winchester writes the society column in the local newspaper, the Rosalie Citizen and asks about doing a special feature on each of the ladies in the Bridge Club. Wendy also aspires to become an investigative reporter and feels this may be her prime opportunity. She has slight advantage as an investigative reporter since her boyfriend is a detective and her father is the chief of police!!
Who poisoned the Gin Girls? Was it deliberate or an accident? Did they get the cyanide from the gardener? If not, where did it come from? Can Wendy sort through their lives to discover the truth?
R. J. Lee has a great start to this new series. As often is the case with the first in a series, it has some slow parts while establishing the background of the characters. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued clear to the end. I am looking forward to more stories in this series.
Grand Slam Murders by R. J. Lee is a fabulous start to the Bridge to Death Mystery series, and quite the page-turner. I loved it, and absolutely recommend it! A+++