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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Book Review Time


 Okay, it’s another review of a book maybe not so well known, but definitely entertaining, mystery. It all revolves around game of bridge, and wouldn't you know there's a Joker in the deck.
A woman shot in her bedroom while powdering her nose (no kidding), a house full of the social elite playing bridge and drinking cocktails at the time of the dastardly crime (suspects one and all), throw in possible blackmail, marital ambiguity and a Special Investigator to the District Attorney named Bonnie Dundee (it’s a guy) and you have a mystery set in the roaring 20’s called Murder at Bridge.
This book was written by an author named Anne Austin, who I admit I’d never heard of before. But hey I’m pretty much an unknown author myself so I don’t hold that against her. Still it’s too bad she isn’t better known because she writes a darn good mystery. Which is a good thing because she’s got a lot going on in this story, but thanks to her skill as a writer the reader manages to keep track of all of it.  A minor miracle. What do I mean? You’ll see.
Okay here’s the plot. Our hero, Bonnie Dundee, is called to the scene of the crime to investigate the murder of Nita Selim, a Broadway dancer currently residing in the prosperous town of Hamilton, much to the delight of the men and the dismay of their wives. Of course once she’s murdered the elite all circle the wagons to protect each other making solving the crime more of a challenge. Just as well as in the 1920’s the police are leery of offending the higher class by arresting them for murder.  Of course there are the outsiders would be more convenient, a disfigured maid (the victim was responsible for that) and the murdered woman’s male “friend” (friend, right), or the better yet the theoretical Hit Man from New York (a police captain’s favorite). But you know it’s not going to be that easy.
During the course of his investigation Mr. Dundee theorizes as to of the motivations and methods of each of the suspects. Most of them wrong. Fortunately, he’s got a lot of suspects to choose from and just as many assumptions. Besides the maid and the friend there is an elderly judge and his young wife (happily married believe it or not), a banker and his wife (not so happily married), a socialite and her husband (yes that was on purpose), an architect and his fiancée (engaged for over a year, what’s up with that?), the leader of the social group who seemed to like the victim (about the only woman who did) and her husband (although he wasn’t even there so why is he a suspect?), the secretary to the District Attorney (Dundee is sweet on her) and her young man who was madly in love (maybe) with the victim. Each time Dundee thinks he’s got it all figured out a monkey wrench get thrown into the works that throws proves him wrong and someone is exonerated. Until they’re a suspect again.
Sound complicated? It is, but don’t worry, Dundee’s got persistence, he’ll figure it out, and he’ll keep you entertained all the way.

 
Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Mystery Series. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories with just a bit of whopper in them. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. She loves to embroider and knit and is a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.
Current E-Books
THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

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