One Deadly Sister
A Raymond
and Sandy Reid Mystery
Rod
Hoisington
EnteraBooks (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-615-29852-4 (0615298524)
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-29852-8 (9780615298528)
Publication Date: September 2009
List Price: $16.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Ray Reid doesn't come looking for trouble, he simply
wants to get past his Philadelphia divorce and start a new life, but
woman-trouble comes looking for him.
Unfortunately, he arrives in the small Florida oceanside town just as
someone decides to murder the local gubernatorial candidate. Reid
doesn’t have a clue about women and gets seduced and
framed—by a 70-year-old in a thong. He’s the perfect target
for the local prosecutor who figures he has the ideal trial
that’ll propel him to the US Senate.
Ray hasn’t bothered with his estranged sister up north for years
but now, as a stranger in a hostile town, she’s his only hope.
She holds an old grudge and resents having her life interrupted. After
first telling him to go to hell, she reluctantly decides to at least
check out her brother’s predicament.
This small step leads to an ever-increasing entanglement of deceit,
double-cross, and danger, as she can’t leave well-enough alone
and goes after the real killer
Review: Rod
Hoisington introduces Raymond and Sandy Reid, estranged brother and
sister who now need each other when Ray is arrested for murder, in One Deadly Sister.
Sandy hasn't forgiven her brother for neglecting her as a teenager
after the death of their parents. Working for a criminal law firm in
Philadelphia until she can earn enough money to go to law school, she
hasn't spoken to Ray even though he lives in the same city. But then
Ray calls her, in part to apologize but mostly because he needs her
help: he's in jail, in Florida, arrested for murder.
Following his divorce, Ray moved to Florida to work as a securities
broker. While attending a party for the local gubernatorial candidate,
Ray is seduced by an elderly femme
fatale. He subsequently gets involved with other prominent
women, all of whom support the political candidate. When the candidate
is murdered, Ray was placed in his apartment by one of the women.
Arrested and jailed without bail, Ray has no one else to turn to but
his sister Sandy. At first she ignores his plea, but finally agrees to
go to Florida for a few days to see what she can do -- if anything. She
has no authority to question anyone, or see any of the official police
documents, so she takes on the role of private investigator for Ray's
defense attorney. She quickly zeroes in on the women Ray was involved
with, not sure what their motive might have been, but certain that
though her brother may be guilty of poor judgment, he is innocent of
murder.
One Deadly Sister is a
light murder mystery, full of comedic elements. It's hard to believe,
for example, that anyone could characterize a 75-year-old woman in a
thong bikini as a femme fatale;
just the mental image brings on a chuckle. The contrast between Ray and
Sandy, brother and sister, is nicely characterized; they see the same
situation differently, bicker and disagree, but are unified in proving
Ray innocent and freed from prison (even though Sandy, who was once
left in a detention center because Ray didn't show up to release her,
might want to see him left there for a while). The mystery plot is well
developed, there are an ample number of colorfully drawn suspects, and
the secondary characters are delightful. No doubt the first in a
series, One Deadly Sister is
a terrific opening chapter for this pair of amateur sleuths.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of One Deadly Sister and to Rod Hoisington for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read One Deadly Sister? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
One Deadly Sister
EnteraBooks (Trade Paperback), September 2009
ISBN-10: 0-615-29852-4 (0615298524)
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-29852-8 (9780615298528)
Omnimystery keywords for One Deadly Sister ...
Location(s) referenced: Florida.
