This is the third book in Nancy Grace's 'Hailey Dean' mystery series. Most people probably know Nancy Grace from her former television show on HLN, where she discussed serious crimes.....and skewered the (alleged) perps. Nancy's main character, Hailey Dean, has a lot in common with the author.
*****
Character background: Hailey Dean went into law enforcement after her fiancé, Will, was murdered shortly before their wedding. Hailey was devastated, and was driven to get justice for crime victims. Hailey was a hard-hitting, successful prosecutor in Atlanta for a decade before she moved to New York and hung her counseling shingle on a brownstone in Greenwich Village.
The story: In Savannah, Georgia, Todd Adams is being tried for the murder of his nine-months-pregnant wife, Lucie Love-Adams.
Todd claimed to be fishing off Tybee Island when Julie went missing on Christmas Eve and - coincidentally?? - the bodies of Julie and the baby washed up on that very island. Moreover, photos prove that cheating Todd went to a Christmas Eve party with a pretty blonde in a red strapless dress. (Remind you of the real life case of Scott and Laci Peterson?)
At the request of the Savannah district attorney Hailey is flying down to profile Todd's behavior and to testify at his trial. Hailey is met at the airport by her good friend, and former professional partner/investigator, Garland Fincher (Finch). Finch is a tall, black, buff ex-marine, who arrested Todd for the murders of his wife and child.
As Finch is driving Hailey to her hotel they hear an urgent dispatch about a dead body, and detour to offer their help. At the death scene Hailey and Finch observe several uniformed police and a corpse that's been nearly cut in half by a garage door. When Detective Chase Billings arrives he and the other cops seem to agree that it's an accidental death. However, Hailey convinces them it's a homicide and proceeds to enmesh herself in the investigation.
The victim is identified as Alton Turner, a desk cop at the courthouse/Sheriff's Department - who's in charge of prisoner transport.
The Alton Turner death was called in to 911 by Miss Kacynthia Sikes, an older woman who gets gussied up in a trendy workout suit every morning, brushes out her long red hair, and power walks around nice neighborhoods. The purpose of Kacynthia's exercise is twofold: to maintain her slim figure and to meet eligible gentlemen.
As it happens, Kacynthia was a 'Penthouse Pet' in 1969 and 1975, and she mentions this in every conservation, including the 911 call she makes after spotting Alton's body. This is all pretty hilarious.....a bit of comic relief.
At the Adams trial the next day, Hailey starts to worry about the state convicting Todd Adams. The prosecuting attorney is kind of a quiet wimp.....while the defense attorney is a loud showman who knows every trick in the book. And you never know what a jury will do!
Pretty soon Hailey gets tangled up with another courthouse death. A strikingly pretty courthouse calendar clerk, Elle Odom, drops dead during lunch with a bunch of jurors. Courthouse whispers suggest Elle had a stroke or heart attack but Hailey suspects murder - and plans to prove it.
Luckily for Hailey, there are plenty of breaks in the Adams trial, which gives her a chance to investigate the Turner and Odom deaths. Hailey visits relevant sites, talks to people, Googles for information, and so on. Hailey consults with Detective Billings during her inquiries.....and sparks ignite between the pair.
On the downside, someone doesn't like Hailey nosing around, and pushes her in front of a bus.
As if there's not enough drama at the courthouse, wildlife-loving clerk Cecil Snodgrass - who helped Hailey with some business at the lost and found - 'wins' a golden ticket to Gator Land. Cecil happily takes a day off to go.....which isn't a great idea. (Doesn't Cecil know it's sketchy when you win a contest you didn't enter? LOL)
All this leads to a dramatic climax where all the book's crimes are solved. I really liked this part, which has a nice twist.
The book is very atmospheric, and I got a good sense of Savannah as the characters drive around, look at historic structures, smell the breeze, gaze at the scenery, eat in nice restaurants, and so on. In fact there's a little too much of this. For example, Snodgrass's day at Gator Land is so detailed that I felt like I was reading the theme park guide (though I'm now all up on feeding gators and shopping in the Gator Land gift store. Ha ha ha).
Nevertheless, I liked the book's 'ambiance' - and appreciated the bits of humor in the story. I laughed out loud when Finch was muttering non-stop about a 'mistake' he made....though no one was paying attention to him.
All in all, this is an engaging mystery that I'd recommend to fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Nancy Grace), and the publisher (BenBella Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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