The
Sex Club
A Wade Jackson
Mystery
L. J. Sellers
Spellbinder Press (Mass market
paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9795182-0-2 (0979518202)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9795182-0-1 (9780979518201)
Publication Date: October 2007
List Price: $8.50
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): A pipe bomb explodes at a birth control clinic, then a
young client turns up dead in a dumpster. Kera Kollmorgan, the clinic
nurse, discovers that the girl's Bible group is sharing more than the
Good News. Confidentiality keeps her from telling the police, so she
digs for the truth on her own-becoming the bomber's new target.
Meanwhile, Detective Wade Jackson races to find the killer, fearing
that his own daughter could be next. But his investigation is blocked
by power politics at every step. Can Jackson uncover the killer's
shocking identity in time to stop the slaughter?
Review:
L. J. Sellers introduces Eugene (Oregon) police detective Wade Jackson
in The Sex Club,
a well written if formulaic mystery involving the murders of two
teenage girls.
Shortly after a young girl visits a planned parenthood clinic to be
treated for a sexually transmitted disease, the clinic is targeted with
a pipe bomb. The next day, the young girl is found dead, apparently
murdered. Wade Jackson, the police detective assigned to the cases,
doesn't believe the incidents are connected, but the clinic nurse, Kera
Kollmorgan, isn't so sure. While Jackson focuses primarily on the
murder investigation, Kera probes into the life of the dead girl
becoming a target herself. When another young girl, also a client of
the clinic, is murdered, both Jackson and Kera are convinced it has
more to do with a church social club the girls were members of than a
serial killer at work.
The Sex Club
is one of those "mysteries with a message" where the plot plays a
secondary role to the message itself. On the plus side, Sellers is a
terrific writer. The story moves along very quickly and Wade Jackson's
character is generally well developed. In particular, his professional
and personal relationships, in the latter case especially with his
daughter, appear to be genuine. The best parts of the book are the chapters from his point of view. (The Sex Club is largely written from three points of view.) The setting seems appropriate too, a
mid-sized city in Oregon.
But the plot is utterly predictable, made even more so by the
unfortunate stereotypes the author chooses to apply to many of the
secondary characters. This lack of originality in both plot and
character obviates any suspense the book might have otherwise
generated. There are also the odd, but fortunately few, lapses of logic
that strain credulity. Finally, the good-vs-evil, right-vs-wrong aspect
of the story is overdone and overwrought.
This series clearly has potential with Sellers' skills as a writer and
a credible character in Wade Jackson. Maybe next time there will be
more of a mystery with a plot and less of a mystery with a
message.
Special thanks to L. J. Sellers for providing a copy of The Sex Club for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Sex Club
Spellbinder Press (Mass market paperback), October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-9795182-0-2 (0979518202)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9795182-0-1 (9780979518201)
Omnimystery keywords for The Sex Club ...
Location(s) referenced: Eugene, Oregon.