The wonderful thing about these Dan Rhodes stories is that they are throw-backs to the mystery novels before Miami Vice and NCIS. Solutions are found because of hard work, not snappy forensics or DNA. Fun and humor are woven between the threads of the plot. Dr. C. P. Benton; "Seepy" is a case in point. If there's ever been a wannabe police officer, it is Seepy.
The story starts with hair extensions -- they have been stolen from the Beauty Shack in town. While the sheriff is sorting through the clues another call comes -- there's a dead body at the community college campus. The dead man is an English professor who is very unpopular with the students and faculty. While Rhodes is trying to tie down the crime scene, a car speeds away and Rhodes has to go in hot pursuit. When Rhodes finally catches his man, the case of the hair extensions returns. But this student has had hard words with the dead professor; is he the killer?
There's a lot of humor, odd-ball characters and a dying small town wrapped into the lot. Because the place remains and quirky characters return (like bad pennies), the reader has a sense that this place and situation could really exist.
XXXXXXSPOILER XXXXXXXX (DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT A CLUE THAT WILL GIVE AWAY THE PLOT). My beef with this novel is the title. As soon as the first word of the title came up in the story, it gave away the killer. Bummer.
The story starts with hair extensions -- they have been stolen from the Beauty Shack in town. While the sheriff is sorting through the clues another call comes -- there's a dead body at the community college campus. The dead man is an English professor who is very unpopular with the students and faculty. While Rhodes is trying to tie down the crime scene, a car speeds away and Rhodes has to go in hot pursuit. When Rhodes finally catches his man, the case of the hair extensions returns. But this student has had hard words with the dead professor; is he the killer?
There's a lot of humor, odd-ball characters and a dying small town wrapped into the lot. Because the place remains and quirky characters return (like bad pennies), the reader has a sense that this place and situation could really exist.
XXXXXXSPOILER XXXXXXXX (DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT A CLUE THAT WILL GIVE AWAY THE PLOT). My beef with this novel is the title. As soon as the first word of the title came up in the story, it gave away the killer. Bummer.
I will say I think this is a good easy series to read, it doesn't have the 'f' word or pages filled with sex or romance, the stories remind me of the Jesse Stone series, there are quirky characters that will make you smile, the stories are what I would consider 'mild' nothing gross or graphic, the parts I don't care for at all is all the unnecessary descriptions BUT you can zip through those and just go to the dialogue, the descriptions just don't have much to do with the main story, I also don't care for all the 'animal stories' about the their pets, I just don't find it has anything to do with the stories and is just page filler so that can be zipped over too, by the last 1/3 of the book you can quickly end it by skipping through a lot of it and just get to the last few pages that will wind up the story.
I'm giving it 3.5 stars because I do think it is well written and easy to read
I'm giving it 3.5 stars because I do think it is well written and easy to read
