Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A Killer Read-Erika Chase

A Killer Read


Erika Chase

Berkley, Apr 3 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425247037



The Ashton Corners’ school board wants their student dropouts to pass the GED exam. To achieve this goal; the members know they must find a way to motivate the former students to read. They hire reading specialist Lizzie Turner to accomplish their objective. Lizzie loves to read and wants her class to share her fervor.



The Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society host their initial session at Molly Matthews's Southern mansion. A stranger arrives saying his car broke down nearby and asks to make a phone call. She escorts him to her phone; once there he tells the group he needs privacy. Later that evening, a club member finds him dead in his car from a bullet fired from Molly's antique gun. A few days later, someone calls Lizzie and asks if she knows what story her father worked on when he died. Every few days, she receives chapters of a manuscript dealing with a person suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies due to feeling he was cheated on an investment deal. Molly and Lizzie believe there is a connection between the dead man and the manuscript, but cannot fathom what it is. They dig for information in order to find that missing link because they believe someone else will soon die.



This is an enjoyable amateur sleuth tale starring a wonderful overwhelmed protagonist dealing with her widow mom’s advanced Alzheimer, her work for the school board and her need to find the culprit before the police arrest Molly. Strong willed and brave, she also is attracted to her investigative “rival” police chief Mark Dreyfus. Although by the amateur sleuth book, fans will enjoy the opening chapter of the Ashton Corners Book Club.



Harriet Klausner

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