Falling Immortality
A Casey Holden Mystery by Robert Downs
Review: PI Casey Holden takes on a cold case murder when a woman with "crystal blue eyes" wearing "a blue skirt two inches too short" asks for his help in Falling Immortality, the first mystery in this series by Robert Downs.
Felicity Farren's husband Artis was murdered two years ago and the police haven't make much progress in nabbing the killer. An ex-cop himself, Holden knows how the department works ... and how, after two years, there aren't likely to be many, if any, new leads to pursue. Artis was in a bar when a man entered, pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger, then calmly left. None of the witnesses had seen him before, and no one has seen him since. "I can't pay you very much," she tells him. No surprise there. Still, Holden's interest is piqued -- more so by the client than the case itself -- and he agrees to look into the matter.
The cold case murder mystery plotline doesn't offer anything new or different, but is handled well enough as far as it goes, though the resolution tends to strain credibility. Falling Immortality is, rather, all about character, in particular that of series lead Casey Holden. He's good looking and witty, with an abundance of money and sex appeal to back him up. And he's the first to say so. The women in his life, his new client notwithstanding, aren't wallflowers or pushovers, but when up against the Holden charm offensive they don't stand a chance. He's even in top form when in a bar fight: "I saw the punch coming ... so I started dancing. It was a dance floor after all, and I hadn't gotten my groove on in a while, so I figured, why not? I added some shucks and jives to my white boy dance, and the crowd started to get into it." He walks away unharmed, of course, exit stage right. The bottom line here is, to enjoy this book you have to buy into the character.
Acknowledgment: Rainbow Books provided a copy of Falling Immortality for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Falling Immortality: Virginia Beach, Virginia
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Falling Immortality by Robert Downs
Publisher: Rainbow Books
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-56825-126-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-56825-126-4
Publication Date: March 2011
List Price: $16.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): I go by Casey, with a last name of Holden. I'm a Private Investigator, who used to be a Virginia Beach cop, back before I knew any better. The PI business was a natural transition when I exited the force three years ago. It allows me the opportunity to fly solo, except for occasional assistance from my best friend, Detective Ian Jackard. When my wealthy parents died, my trust fund kicked into high gear, providing me the opportunity to pick my clients based on cup size or take extended vacations.
I screen my clients the way I screen my women, based on whichever drop-dead gorgeous woman happens to waltz through the door first and manages to hold my attention. So when Felicity Farren, widow-at-large, struts into my office asking me to solve the two-year-old murder of her husband, Artis, she intrigues me.
When I start digging, I learn the murder isn't what it seems to be and I don't have a big enough shovel to unearth the truth. And to top it all off, my former rival at the police department, Greg Gilman, is determined to disrupt my investigation.
With the help of Ian, and a mystery bartender I've named Dragon Lady, I discover that I'm being framed and that Felicity isn't the justice-seeking widow she claims to be. My challenge is to learn what really happened to Artis, and why Gilman can't seem to remove his head from his butt. And I'll need all of my wits to complete the task.