Justin Savile is a police detective in the town of Hillston,
NC. He also has a law degree, is a
descendant of the family who owns the local textile mill, and has done two
tours of duty in rehab for alcoholism.
The fact that he still drinks is a red flag, but his partner, Cuddy
Mangum, has enough common sense for both of them and a very witty gift of
gab. In fact, all of my favorite
passages in the book are Cuddy’s remarks and nicknames for other people,
including Justin’s married girlfriend, who Cuddy refers to, somewhat
accurately, as Lunchbreak. The plot’s
focus is on the death of Cloris Cadmean, who was murdered in her home, possibly
as collateral damage to a robbery, but Justin doesn’t think so. He also begins investigating the accidental
death of her former husband as a possible homicide and enlists the help of a
renowned psychic. Honestly, I’ve read
better whodunits as far as the plot is concerned, but this book’s strong suit
is the two main characters. Cuddy and
Justin are so much fun that I found it hard to take their detective work very
seriously. There are no super
nail-biting moments, but Southern charm and kidding around more than make up
for the plot deficiencies. This is my
first Michael Malone detective novel, but I am sure that I will seek him out
again when I’m in the market for some suspense, peppered with a bit of good-natured
ribbing. Malone even throws in some old-fashioned
romance for good measure.
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