Though born to heirloom pearls, designer dresses and lush garden parties, Savannah social icon Patricia Falcon and three of her closest friends spend their days in Savannah’s dark side rescuing abused women. Patricia’s darling mother, a prominent philanthropist, drops dead, and the police are baffled by her untimely death. Patricia recruits her three friends to help her investigate what she … believes is murder.”Savannah Sleuth” is a page-turning journey from Savannah’s Southern wealth and grace into the hidden corners of Savannah and across two continents in a deadly pursuit of justice.
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Patricia Falcon is part of Savannah’s Falcon family that in high in the social register. Patricia and her friends rescue abused women and gets involved in the death of her mother, Henrietta and gets herself and friends into more danger while pursuing justice. This was very interesting how the women get involved in solving crimes for justice.
I thought this looked like a light cozy mystery. Instead, it is a murder mystery that is heavy on Deep South local loves, cheats, politics and good-old-boy networks. If that’s your schtick, it’s a good book.
Vigilante for Justice
The upper echelon of Savannah society. Organizations that work behind the scenes to keep Savannah’s streets safe. When one of their own is mysteriously murdered, they all come together to solve the baffling crime. And they all become potential targets! They close ranks, bunker up, call in favours; and then the Holy See gets involved. Chaput weaves an intricate tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal; at the root of which is a monetary legacy large enough to overcome any scruples. But will this betrayal go unpunished? It’s a race against time as we breathlessly read on to see which side comes out the victor.
I found this novel hard to put down! “One more chapter!” quickly turned into five, then ten; until finally the last page arrived. An excellent story, masterfully written! I’ve found a new-to-me author that has already been added to my “must read” list. I was extremely happy to find that this is only Volume One; and I’m now off in search of the rest of this writer’s booklist. I cannot recommend reading this strongly enough!
[I received a copy of this book from the author, for an honest review of the book. The opinions expressed herein are my own.]
Loved the plot and thought it was Beau and Judy teamed up for the money. When she wouldn’t leave without her husband, they were in it together .
Excellent. Great story and great characters. Fast paced and thrilling. Once I started I could not put it down.
A new author for me and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this book. Based on the cover, I expected it to be a “cozy mystery”, but it was so much more. I enjoyed learning more about the city of Savannah and began to wonder how many “ secret society’s” may have really been in the south. Whether for good or evil, the “Coalition” plays a big role in this mystery. Some women of the south are not content to sit back and let the men be in charge. This is one of those books. The author provide me with a copy of this book for my honest review.
Wow! This is the ultimate example of a terrific mystery/thriller. There’s so much action, suspense, danger, twists and turns, murders and mayhem – all the things that make a great mystery. I was grabbed from beginning to end and was so surprised by who the killer was. It’s unputdownable, exciting and entertaining reading.
Patricia, a gun-toting society woman, lives a danger-filled life. She rescues women who are being abused and she is married to Trey Falcon, a member of the Cotton Coalition – a group of four men dedicated to protecting the businesses and citizens of Savannah.
All of a sudden her life is turned upside-down. Her mother dies of an apparent heart attack, but her money and property have disappeared. Toss in a papal special agent, a daughter who decides to leave college six weeks before end of term, and another death and near death of those close to her.
The mystery is indeed tense and I did not figure it out until just before we were given the solution. Way to go Alan!
Savannah Sleuth is a quick read, with lots of Georgia background and an excellent picture of life in Savannah. The characters are well presented, the mystery well disguised and the storyline flows well. I am pleased to recommend to my friends and family who enjoy southern fiction, well defined female protagonists, or mystery tales.
I received a free electronic copy of this southern mystery novel from the author, Allen Chaput. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
I loved this book! Can’t wait to
Read the next one!
Savannah is a Southern Belle in every meaning of the word, as are her three best friends. They go out to help abused women escape from the abusers–not exactly what you would expect a Southern Belle to do–Savannah’s Mom is a BIG philanthropist–Mother and daughter are very close. When her mother drops dead after her tennis game and luncheom at the club-Savannah is devastated. Her Mom had been in perfect health and Savannah is bound and determined to get to the bottom of her death.
Twists and turns galore–and even the husbands (members of an elite group who keep trouble out of their town) get involved. It gets crazy!
You will never guess who the murderer is–and the ending will have you shivering and wondering if there will be another novel following this one which will continue the story.
I read a complimentary Copy of this book sent to me by the author & am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review.
Why This Book
I belong to a cozy mystery reader group that offers ARCs of upcoming books through a giveaway contest. I won Alan Chaput’s book, Savannah Sleuth, the first in his Vigilantes for Justice series from Falcon Press, published in early 2018.
Approach & Style
I read the paperback version of this 271-page novel in 4 hours over 3 days. It is told with a third-person point-of-view and via a perspective focused primarily on the main character, Patricia (Patsy); however, ~20% of the chapters focus on other characters so that readers know what’s going on behind the scenes even though Patsy is unaware what has happened.
Plot, Characters & Setting
The novel takes place in Savannah, Georgia with a trip to Paris, France for a few chapters. It focuses on super-rich Patricia (Patsy) Falcon, her mother, her husband their daughter, friends and enemies. Patsy’s mother dies under mysterious circumstances, prompting Patsy and her friends to search for the killer… but here’s where this story takes a different arc. Her husband is part of a coalition to protect Savannah, so he’s secretly investigating the death as well but she doesn’t know it. As Patsy and her friends begin finding leads, more people keep dying or having accidents. Throw in some family issues with their daughter, side-stories involving the church, a homeless man who is searching for a parent, philanthropic efforts among the different friends in Patsy’s group, affairs, and a very high-tech security detail… and you’ve got a lot of things to try and connect across the chapters.
Key Thoughts
Savannah as a backdrop is a wonderful setting. I’ve not been to the city but will be going later this year at the end of summer. I can’t wait to see how well reality compares to the descriptions in this novel. It was highly engrossing, completely beautiful, and impressive in terms of how well integrated into the story. I felt like I was there while reading the book.
The vigilante concept is quite intriguing when you consider the vigilantes are the super-rich who run the city. Between the gun-toting society ladies, the friendly welcome and assistance of homeless, and openness about how they need to murder bad people in order to protect the town, I found myself constantly surprised at what people said and did.
A few parts made me turn my head and scratch the back of my scalp… only because it just didn’t seem like a specific action could really happen the way it did, but it felt like maybe that was the point of the story. Once I just let my concerns go, falling into the complexity and depth of the story, I loved it. I felt the same way about the ending in terms of leaving too many things unsolved; however, it’s clear those will be addressed in book two. Had some of these been a bit stronger or more fleshed out, I would have given this a cozy mystery a 5-star rating.
Chaput has a great platform and baseline to tell many stories in this series. The characters are rich with interesting personalities; I often couldn’t tell who to trust and who to fear… it’s a lot of grey and very little black and white. That was one of my favorite parts.
Summary
I’m very excited about this new mystery series. It’s a solid 4+ star rating and may have been higher if a few loose threads were tied together before the end. It’s a little darker than a typical cozy, but in a good way. I like how there’s a lot going on in the stories, especially the side plots and secondary characters. I will definitely be reading the next one which is coming out very soon.
What an interesting twist to the cozy mystery genre! Secret societies, investigative priests, snooping wives and more overlap in this interesting and entertaining plot that will have you convinced one person is guilty, but then again it could be that other person! Excellent character development and quite shocking that the author has no problem killing off a character that you view as a core member of the cast. I have no problem with a book ending with a cliff hanger as it tells me that there is another book coming, but be warned if you have issues with that then prepare yourself and have the next book already lined up and ready to read!
By Dave McDonaldon January 15, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
“Savannah Sleuth” debuts Alan Chaput’s fabulous gifts for both story-telling and writing. His characters come to life on the pages, pulling the reader deeper and deeper into their story. The more I got to know Patricia Falcon the more I wanted to know. After she and her vigilante friends decide to investigate Patricia’s mother’s death/murder, the evil in this world finds them, touches them, and worse. This book will take you to the edge and keep you there. This whodunit will have you looking over your shoulder as you read, the tension building page after page.
In parallel to a great mystery, “Savannah Sleuth” introduces ‘the Cotton Coalition’, a secret society that protects both the history and the future of Savannah. This is a very believable and brilliant concept.
I’d recommend this book to any reader who doesn’t mind staying up all night, because I warn you, this book is difficult to put down.
I can’t wait to read Alan Chaput’s next book.
I absolutely loved this cozy mystery, and I don’t usually read cozy mysteries. The author made sure he pulled you in with the description of every detail!
I couldn’t put this book down! If you like the cozy mystery genre, this is the book for you! Author, Al Chaput, keeps the characters entertaining and the suspense high. The surprising twists are sure to keep you on the edge of your reading chair! Enjoy and then get ready for his second book which I hear is coming soon.
This first in a series is off to a good start. When Patricia’s mother a normally healthy woman, is found dead, odd things start coming up, which leads us to believe that she was murdered. Patricia is a strong woman with some self doubts which makes her real, her emotions were real and believable.
This book definitely kept me turning the pages because something was always cropping up, from dead bodies, Russia and the church, it keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next. Vigilantes for Justice is an interesting idea with this secret society and I could actually believe that this happens. The characters for the most part are likable, and I enjoyed seeing the story through different eyes as we got to hear her husband’s thoughts at times. The mystery was good and I didn’t figure it out until right before the characters did. I will continue on with this series.
*I was lucky enough to have received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.