|
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
CRAZY EIGHTS: A JAKE HINES MYSTERY
ELIZABETH GUNN
ISBN#0-373-26557-3
March 2006
Harlequin-Worldwide Mystery
225 Duncan Mill Rd., Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9
Paperback
$5.99 U.S./$6.99 Can.
283 Pages
Mystery
Rating: 4 Cups
Rutherford, Minnesota's chief of detectives Jake Hines usually did not consult on typical missing persons reports, so when he is awakened at the ungodly hour of three a.m., he knows there is nothing typical about the diappearance of Shelley Gleason, a prominent citizen in the community. The department determines Shelley was carjacked by two men, Dale Trogstad and Benny Niemeyer. Dale Trogstad is quickly convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to life without parole. Benny Niemeyer, with a nasty reputation and a rap sheet an arm long, proves harder to convict when he is found not guilty on a technicality. As Benny is leaving the courthouse parking garage he is attacked by an unknown nearly naked man. Why?
Benny Niemeyer is the type who could not keep his nose clean, and when there was trouble you could bet he was in the middle of it. Until now, he had never been caught for more than burglary, but now that he had been fingered for the death of Shelley Gleason, he needed to be put away. Thanks to a softhearted attorney and very little substantial evidence, he is found not guilty. But unfortunately that is the last stroke of good luck he will ever have, because he is found dead with his head bashed in at a skate board park. What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into?
What Jake finds out about Benny and his associations will cover the gamut of the seedier side of life, from drugs to fencing stolen property, it seems he had a finger in all of it, and what he knew and who he knew was enough to get him killed. Not to mention some other characters that at first glance seem in no way associated with him. What Jake ultimately uncovers is a complete surprise.
Ms. Elizabeth Gunn has written a very clever mystery full of twists and turns that will have you guessing up until the last page. Her characters are well rounded, and I had a difficult time determining just who was who, villain or good guy. It all added up to a very good read.
Kathy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books