All About Mary
A Mick Hart Mystery
By Lawrence Christopher
MF Unlimited - April 2000
ISBN 0-9712278-0-2 - Paperback
Mystery / P I

Reviewed by Mary Lynn, MyShelf.Com
Buy a Copy

Mary Jane Jenkins was a good looking, full-figured woman who lived off her looks and was unashamed of using them to get what she could out of men. When she met Perry Rogers, a banking executive on his way up, it seemed the unmarried mother of two was finally heading towards a life on easy street. Then she turned up dead, stabbed numerous times. It seems an open and shut case when her finance Perry is found over her body with his finger prints on the murder weapon. Nevertheless, private detective Mick Hart promises Perry's grieving mother that he will spend 72 hours looking into the case.

"All About Mary" is told from the dual viewpoints of private eye Mick Hart, and murder suspect, Perry Rogers. I found this approach quite intriguing, as it allows the reader to follow the development of the relationship between Perry and Mary (told in flashbacks) while at the same time watching Mick unravel the mystery of who killed her. The suspects are plentiful. In addition to Perry, there was an assortment of men in Mary's past. Several of Mary's lovers make excellent suspects, including the mysterious owner of a black SUV whom Mick has a problem tracking down.

The language in this novella is somewhat graphic. There is also one brief scene in the book which may shock some readers. Read closely and follow all the clues to fully appreciate the unraveling of the murder. Since this is billed as a Mick Hart mystery, I would have liked to have known a little more about Mick Hart as a person. Nevertheless, I found "All About Mary" to be a good, fast, engrossing tale told from a different and unique perspective.

 

© MyShelf.Com. All Rights Reserved