Xs
An Allie Armington Mystery
Louise Gaylord
Review: Xs is the somewhat disappointing second book in the Allie Armington mystery series by Louise Gaylord.
Though the overall book is quite readable, there are some aspects to the story that make it seem it was rushed into publication in mid-rewrite. There are entire plot elements that are begun then left incomplete or unresolved. Foremost among them is the title: What is the mystery behind the Xs? A related query might be: Why is the book titled Xs? Sometimes publishers change the title of a book to generate more interest, or possibly in this case, to create a visually evocative cover. But the more important question is: What was the point of including the Xs subplot if it had, at best, a marginal impact on the story?
A similar problem exists with the masked secret society. Although it's been done before, if incorporated effectively, or if it had an unusual twist, it could have added a mysterious aspect to the story. Instead, it seems as if it was used as a prop, and a weak one at that. And again the question: What was the point of its existence in the story?
It's possible that Gaylord was simply trying too hard to confuse the reader with red herrings, swapped identities, false names, and uncertain relationships. She should have had more faith in her abilities as an author that she didn't need all the extraneous material she included to create an effective mystery.
Acknowledgment: Author Marketing Experts provided a copy of Xs for this review.
Review Copyright © 2005 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Xs: New York City
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Xs by Louise Gaylord
Publisher: Little Moose Press
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-9720227-4-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-9720227-4-3
Publication Date: January 2005
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): There’s a Bad Apple in the Big Apple ...
The trouble started with a call from her sister, a supermodel, in New York City. The next thing she knew, Allie Armington, young, bright, successful and slightly bored Texas attorney, was on a plane to the Big Apple. It was downhill from there.
Beautiful women are showing up dead, neat X marks carved in their breasts with almost surgical precision. Chilling enough in the abstract, but made all too real when Allie’s sister’s roommate turns up among them.
In a New York minute, Allie’s up to her eyeballs in an NYPD sting operation targeting mega-rich men hosting parties in a secluded castle on the exclusive Jersey shore, complete with masks, mysterious monikers, models and mischief of the carnal and chemical kind.
Just as things get really dangerous, enter Uvalde, Texas’s ex-Sheriff Bill Cotton, Allie’s long lost heartthrob, in Ivy League apparel and minus the Texas drawl.
From the Rich Boys’ club to the mysterious Sigrid Hale, there are surprises galore. Once again Allie demonstrates her incredible ability to get into trouble. Let’s hope she’s as good at getting out if it.
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