In this second book in the 'Keye Street' series, the private detective works on three difficult cases. The book works fine as a standalone.
*****Chinese-American private investigator Keye Street, who works out of Atlanta, isn't your average sleuth. Orphaned at a young age, Keye was adopted by a Georgia couple and she has the Dixie accent and refined sensibilities of the South. Keye also has a taste for traditional southern meals, like fried chicken, corn bread, and iced tea.
Keye is a recovering alcoholic with a Ph.D who lost her job as an FBI profiler because of her drinking. Keye is sober now, and her time with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) works to her advantage when she consults for the Atlanta Police Department (APD).
Other things to know about Keye:
⦿ Keye is dating hunky Detective Aaron Rauser of the APD.
⦿ Keye has an African-American gay brother named Jimmy (also adopted) who lives on the West Coast with his partner.
⦿ Keye's cousin Miki is an award-winning photographer who has a history of cutting herself, loves attention, and is usually high on alcohol and drugs.
⦿ Keye's sleuthing partner Neil is a stylish computer hacker who smokes a lot of pot.
⦿ Keye has a spoiled cat who likes shots of half and half and other delicacies.
Keye, who lives in an upscale apartment in a hotel - and has to pay for an office, car, and living expenses - takes a variety of jobs to make ends meet. Besides helping the Atlanta police, Keye serves subpoenas; chases down bail jumpers for Tyrone's Quikbail; does security checks; takes jobs from lawyers; and more.
In this book, Keye gets involved in three major cases a few days before Independence Day, for which her parents always make a big 4th of July party.
Keye's cases stack up as follows:
⦿ Keye's cousin Miki is the target of a nasty stalker who, besides following Miki around, breaks into her apartment and leaves a terrible surprise. Keye tells Miki she'll track down the perpetrator.
⦿ A 13-year-old boy - who's a star athlete at his school - is murdered and left in an Atlanta park. The APD is stumped, and Detective Aaron Rauser hires profiler Keye to consult on the case.
⦿ A man in north Georgia has his dead mother cremated, and his mom's urn contains cement and birdseed instead of the appropriate cremains. Keye is hired to find out what's going on at the crematorium.
We follow Keye as she investigates these cases, and it's not a big surprise to learn that some of the inquiries dovetail. Though the crimes are very serious, the book has light moments, such as when Keye and her partner Neil investigate the crematorium. Keye and Neil pretend to be looking for a house in north Georgia, and they meet an octogenarian called Mary-Kay, who isn't fooled for a second.
Mary-Kay plays a rather funny (but racist) joke AND thrusts herself into the investigation of the crematory.
All this leads to an exciting action packed denouement filled with danger and adventure.
Keye's jobs are stressful and exhausting, and she's tempted to drink, but she quells the urge with sugary donuts and her mom's southern cooking....which is DELICIOUS.
This is an engaging suspense novel, though some of the investigations are overly detailed, and drag on a bit too long. Still, the book is well worth reading for fans of the suspense genre.
Rating: 3.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment