February 2008 Fiction and Mystery Reviews

The Betrayal Game

by David L. Robbins

Bantam
Hardcover
ISBN# 978-0-553-80442-3
Suggested Retail Price: $25.00 or as low as $7.35 from Amazon.com!

David Robbins takes us back almost 50 years to the CIAs ill-conceived attempt to assasinate Cuban president Fidel Castro with his own vision of the lead-up to the Bay of Pigs invasion in a manner he calls "thinly fictionalized fact". Professor Mikhal Lammeck is a historian who is fascinated with assasinations - political assasinations and the ancient question "Can one man change history?" He gets himself entangled in one of the many plots by the CIA to assasinate Castro and finds he is no longer facing an academic question.

The book is thoroughly researched and steeped in the history of South America, particularly Cuba, and its relations with the US. The cast of characters includes the most prominent Mafia dons and other historical figures. The plot lines are the stuff of conspiracy theories of the era, but I couldn't help feel that the book was a cross between "Godfather II" and "The In-Laws" (the first one with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin), but without the humor.

The Purrfect Murder

by Rita Mae Brown

Bantam
Hardcover
ISBN# 978-0-553-80365-5
Suggested Retail Price: $25.00 or as low as $15.30 from Amazon.com!

Our favorite feline sleuth Mrs. Murphy is back with her human Mary "Harry" Haristeen, the Jessica Fletcher of Cozet, Virginia - except that she raises sunflowers and, most recently, grapes. Harry and her friends lament at how the world is changing, especially their own little corner of it. When a rich newcomer, Mrs. Carla Paulson, hires her friend Tazio to build a Taj Mahal of a mansion, the locals are definitely peeved. And just as in "Murder, She Wrote", it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know early on that Mrs. Paulson's days are numbered. But the problem for Harry is that her friend Tazio is the prime suspect. Its up to Mrs. Murphy and company to keep Harry on the right track.

This short little mystery would be perfect for a winter weekend's read. Its not Rita Mae Brown's best work, but there's lots of fun with the cats and the other critters as they discuss the shortcomings of the humans and each other.

Puss 'n Cahoots: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

by Rita Mae Brown

Bantam
Paperback
ISBN# 978-0-553-58682-4
Suggested Retail Price: $7.50 or as low as $2.99 from Amazon.com!

Bantam reprints this popular Mrs. Murphy mystery in paperback form. While at a horseshow with cats in tow, newlyweds Harry and Fair Haristeen, their longtime friend Joan has her valuable ruby and sapphire pin go missing. As the mystery unfurls, a groom at Joan's stable is found murdered with a pair of crosses cut in his palms. The feline crew, Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, and Pewter, join forces to solve this string of crimes. It's a guilty pleasure, even for cat lovers, but a captivating yarn nonetheless.

The Alibi Man

by Tami Hoag

Bantam
Paperback
ISBN# 978-0-553-58360-1
Suggested Retail Price: $7.99 or as low as $1.00 from Amazon.com!

Popular mystery writer Tami Hoag gives us another excellent mystery with unofficial (ie. unlicensed) P.I. Elena Estes, the former undercover Palm Beach cop. Elena finds the body of her friend Irina Markova floating in a canal. Irina was a horse groom, and she and Elena work together at a stable owned by one Sean Avadon. Elena's ex-boyfriend Detective James Landry is assigned to the case. The prime suspect is a wealthy Palm Beach badboy named Bennett Walker. Elena once testified against Walker in a rape trial 20 years ago, but Walker beat the rap back then. It turns out the Walker is a member of a group of rich playboy-types called "The Alibi Club" who, as you've no doubt guessed, provide alibis for each other as the need arises. The plot thickens when a Russian mobster pressures Elena to find Irina's killer. Its an intriguing pot boiler that lets you jeer the indolent rich villains while you suffer through Elena's inner demons.