“Well-written and entertaining … you’ll find yourself turning the pages because the victim is so deliciously despicable.” – West Coast Review of BooksA LYING, CHEATING ABUSER WINDS UP DEAD… womanizer’s divorce proceedings—and murder mystery—in the third installment of Janet Dawson’s compelling female detective series. And in this particular whodunit, the list of who would gladly have done it just keeps growing.
When Ruth Raynor—the mousy soon-to-be ex-wife of an abusive sailor—calls up Jeri Howard to take on her divorce case, Jeri has reservations. For one, the celebrated Bay area PI has never been a fan of petty divorce investigations. Plus Ruth’s sleek divorce attorney—isn’t exactly Jeri’s cup of tea. But Ruth just happens to be the daughter of a former client. And Jeri is as loyal as she’s bold.
Sam, the soon-to-be ex-husband is a smart, slick, cocky piece of work—and a mean drunk to boot—who basks in attention (especially from women) like a lizard on a rock. Sam at first comes across as dangerously attractive, except for his pale blue, emotionless eyes—a cold, dead giveaway. Turns out Prince Charming broke his wife’s wrist, gave her a black eye, kept their small daughter hungry and in rags—and hid $100,000 when Ruth filed for divorce.
When Sam winds up with a bullet in his back, the prime suspect, naturally, is Ruth. But Jeri, working hard to keep her client out of jail, discovers a line of suspects so long someone who wanted to kill him would have to take a number and get in line.
“We believe that Janet is one of the best women private eye writers in the business; her books are both believable and compelling, with a heroine who goes about her business methodically and intelligently.” — Tom & Enid Schantz, The Purloined Letter.
Fans of intelligent female sleuths like Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone will particularly enjoy this series, as well as aficionados of Marcia Muller’s fellow Bay Area detective, Sharon McCone.
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What I have discovered about this author is that she is tenacious with writing a solid story with many sidelines as she peels that onion to reveal each and every aspect of what happened, why it happened, and who did what. Not everybody can get away with what she does but I think she’s amazing!! I also love all the extra info she adds from her research, gives the story more depth and character. I have a notebook where I keep notes and write out the storyline as I’m reading it so I can keep up with who is who because there are more characters in her stories than are normal for a murder mystery. It’s too easy to forget who is who. Since I’m so determined to read her books I’m going to make it as easy for myself as possible and keep notes. I have to say I love this series and I love the characters. And I hope Joe finds a place in the next books!!
When Jeri Howard becomes involved in a divorce case, she takes on more than finding the missing $100,000 dollars that Sam has hidden from his wife. He’s a nasty piece of work with a history of brutalising women. Yet on the surface, he’s charming and credible, drawing women to him with consummate ease.
When he’s murdered, Jeri’s job changes to investigator as his wife, Ruth, becomes the prime suspect. It doesn’t take much digging for Jeri to find plenty more suspects, leading to a classic private eye murder mystery tale.
Jeri’s a determined investigator who’s not afraid to speak her mind and ruffle feathers. She burns a lot of shoe leather in this investigation, which becomes more complex by the chapter. While the descriptions of places and journeys often slow the place, the story’s never dull as Jeri’s an engaging character and the plot twists keep you guessing right to the end
Janet Dawson is the master/mistress of the telling wee detail which adds to the reason for the next action as her detective Jeri searches for the next piece of the puzzle.
Love this series
twists, twists and more. enjoyed every moment.
Third of a series. Solid PI procedural set in a detailed San Diego setting.
It kept me interested all the time. What I was looking , son me thing easy to read and full of situations created by the author that gave me satisfaction.
A very fun read.
Not what I expected. Slow paced. Took a while to get through this one. Main character did not let you in on the story. You just followed her around.
She is in new Orca to me and her book was fantastic action-packed great characters and put it down can’t wait to read for next book
Wonderful characters-the good guys, not the killer! Keeps your interest and invites you to think along with crime solvers what will/has happened.
I’m working my way through the collection and appreciate the solid story line and a real vocabulary.
Needs a better beta-reader but that’s true for a number of my book bargains. This is generally a cut above.
Jeri is the right person to have on your side. I love her persistence, determination, and, yes, wisdom.
Great mystery well written.
Great read
This is a well-developed series, plots are very believable and a number of viable suspects get weeded through, until the final one, which is something of a surprise, as a clever “cover story” is in place. Main character Jeri Howard is extremely likable.