Reviewed
by: BigAl
Genre:
Mystery
Approximate
word count: 65-70,000
words
Availability
Kindle
US: YES UK:
YES Nook:
NO Smashwords:
NO Paper:
YES
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
Since
retiring from her government job, Tammy L. Grace finally found the
time to devote to her lifelong passion for writing. Her works prior
to this were the Hometown Harbor romance series. A native of Nevada,
Grace now lives in the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington
state.
Description:
“When
private detective Cooper “Coop” Harrington meets record label
mogul Grayson Taylor at a swank gathering of country music artists
and politicians he never imagines he’ll be investigating his brutal
murder less than twenty-four hours later.
The
suspects are plentiful. More than a handful of people could have
wanted him dead. Retained by Taylor’s widow, Coop works alongside
his best friend and Chief of Detectives, Ben Mason. The investigation
leads Coop and Ben to visit the luxurious mansions of recording
industry magnates, navigate the murky undercurrents of the political
world, and probe complicated family matters. Scandalous
indiscretions, secrets, and hints of corruption swirl in the midst of
their pursuit of the killer.
Coop’s
faithful friend and assistant, Annabelle, and his loyal golden
retriever, Gus, both lend a hand during the investigation. Even his
Aunt Camille mines the local gossip mill to unearth potential killers
with motive. Yet the case seems hopeless until a crucial piece of
evidence emerges that sends Coop and Ben on a race to catch the
killer before someone else dies.”
Appraisal:
What
matters most, story or how the story is told? The answer should be
obvious, it's the story. Killer
Music is a good story.
Tammy L. Grace has created a winning set of characters with her
private detective, Cooper “Coop” Harrington, and his supporting
crew. These include his trusty assistant, Annabelle, who provides
office support and helps keep Coop in line when he needs to be reined
in. (Although Coop is too dense to realize, the fix for his
less-than-stellar love life is right in front of him, while Annabelle
patiently waits for him to figure it out.) Coop's Aunt Camille is a
Southern Agatha Christie wannabe, always looking for a chance to
ferret out whatever clues she can from the gossips among the local
society ladies. And I'd be remiss not to mention Coop's trusty
sidekick, his dog, Gus.
In
this story, Coop is hired by a murder victim’s widow to find the
killer. He works closely with his best friend, Ben, who happens to be
the chief of detectives for the Nashville Police Department,
exchanging information and even continuing the investigation when the
police have all but given up and his client has fired him. There are
a plethora of potential suspects and the story keeps the reader
guessing until the end.
However,
the telling of the story also matters. How much is going to vary from
reader to reader with what bothers some not even being noticed by
others. For me, there were several things that bothered me with the
presentation of the story. Some were small, almost insignificant by
themselves, like when Coop wagged his tail, something I'd expect from
his dog Gus, but not a macho detective like Coop. Or when Ben spooned
“the rest of the drink into his mouth” and immediately after they
(Coop and Ben) “finished their drinks.” (Didn't Ben already do
that?)
Other
things bothered me more, for example a large info dump, explaining
Coops' history, almost had me tossing the book to the side early on.
This was the worst example of a tendency towards telling over
showing. It also felt like at times the author gave way more detail
than the story required. For example, this explanation of the initial
call between Coop and his client:
Coop
explained his fee schedule and she agreed to wire funds to him on
Monday morning. She also shared what she knew about Gray’s visit to
Nashville and that he sent her a text last night telling her he
wanted to talk and change some things. She was planning to stay in
Bowling Green for at least the next week and gave Coop her contact
information. He promised he would check in with her throughout the
coming week and told her he would e-mail her an engagement contract
for his services.
Why
not use dialogue for some of this? (Showing rather than telling.) And
how does most of this move the story forward? Does it matter that the
client agreed to wire Coop money on Monday or would, “They worked
out contractual details” be enough to cover the first and last two
sentences of this paragraph? Assuming that much is even needed. The
reader doesn't usually care nor does the story need the nitty-gritty
business stuff unless something in the specifics is later important
to the mystery. All we need to know is she hired Coop and he's on the
job. A little in the way of detail is okay for color, but for my
tastes, there was way more of these kind of details than needed.
Another
thing I found was repetition, specifically in how sentences start.
Depending on how and what is repeated, it can be a good thing
(emphasizing a point and making it memorable) or grating. The issue I
saw time and again here, often related to the too much detail
situation discussed above, was sentences that read like lists. He did
this. He did that. He then went somewhere. He's boring me to death.
He's putting me to sleep. Three or four sentences in a row starting
with he, she, or they reads like a list. If the information is
needed, say it in a different way.
Only
you can decide whether the things that bothered me are going to be an
issue for you. If they're a non-issue, the characters and story are
good. Give it a read.
FYI:
The
first book in the Cooper Harrington Detective series.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A
small number of typos and grammar issues.
Rating:
*** Three Stars
