David Housewright_Holland Taylor #1+#2 (Mystery) EPUB+MOBI

Joe Sherman was the other driver when St. Paul private eye Holland Taylor's wife and child were killed in an automobile accident. Sherman was drunk at the time of the accident, did prison time, and was recently released. Now he's dead, and Taylor is the most likely suspect. Sherman's death turns out to be linked to Taylor's current case, involving state representative and gubernatorial candidate Carol Catherine Monroe, who is being blackmailed by an old boyfriend. Taylor is hired to pay the ransom and secure the tape, but when he arrives at the drop site, the blackmailer is dead. As the bodies pile up, Taylor discovers the link between Monroe and the late Joe Sherman, solves the case, and gets himself off the suspect list. This is a surprisingly accomplished first novel with a likable everyman protagonist and a clever plot. The dialogue sags once in a while, and there are a couple of extraneous subplots, but most readers will find these faults minor and will look forward to Taylor's next case. Wes Lukowsky



Housewright's Edgar Award-winning first novel, Penance, introduced readers to Holland Taylor, a wisecracking, cynical ex-cop turned PI. Now Taylor takes on a shocking embezzlement case that puts millions of dollars, the reputations of the city's most powerful people--and even Taylor's own life--on the line...