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A Sporting Murder

A Greg McKenzie Mystery by Chester Campbell

A Sporting Murder by Chester Campbell

Review: When rumors of an NBA team coming to Nashville have the area's NHL fans up in arms, private investigators Jill and Greg McKenzie are hired to learn how serious the opposition is, in A Sporting Murder, the fifth mystery in this series by Chester D. Campbell.

In addition to its NHL team, Nashville has a successful NFL franchise. Few believe the city can support three national professional sports teams, so when talk of bringing in a third arises, the city's hockey supporters rally to block the effort. But are the NBA's backers trying to muscle their way in? When Greg receives an anonymous call from "Arnold" saying he has information that will "blow his mind", he agrees to meet, only to find Arnold shot to death. Jill and Greg continue to probe possible organized crime connections — but are also interested in a blue pick-up truck that has recently taken to following them. The driver looks suspiciously familiar, possibly a man from Greg's Air Force OSI days that he helped send to prison. Is it just a coincidence he's in town at the same time the NHL/NBA troubles are hitting, or does he have a more personal reason to be here?

Jill and Greg make for a charming investigative couple, getting into and out of scrapes on regular basis, and providing the entertaining foundation for the book (and series). But their investigation in A Sporting Murder seems rather far afield for them and not entirely credible. The overall story arc never quite comes together; a simpler plot with fewer elements would likely have resulted in a more satisfactory mystery. Still, this is a fast-reading book and it's a pleasure to revisit Nashville with Jill and Greg as "whodunit" hosts.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Sporting Murder.

Acknowledgment: Chester Campbell provided an ARC of A Sporting Murder for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …

Mystery Book Review: The Marathon Murders by Chester CampbellThe Marathon Murders
Night Shadows Press (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-13: 9780979916700; ISBN-10: 0979916704

Location(s) referenced in A Sporting Murder: Nashville, Tennessee

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A Sporting Murder by Chester Campbell

A Sporting Murder by A Greg McKenzie Mystery

Publisher: Night Shadows Press
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0-9846044-0-1
Publication Date:
List Price: $14.95

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