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Early one morning E.J. Rand was out in the snow, bringing in the paper, when a friend drove past on his way to work. We waved, I asked myself "What if?" and I was hooked. From that emerged "Say Goodbye." In "Say Goodbye," a second chance at love is the last thing on Gary Kemmerman's mind - he wears his wedding ring to preserve memories. We meet him the morning he's forced to become an amateur sleuth, when the widow of a friend asks for his help. The police say her husband's fatal car crash was an accident, but she knows its murder.
Say Goodbye: A Reluctant Sleuth Mystery
E.J. Rand
Deadly Ink Press (2008)
ISBN 9780978744212
Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (3/08)
“Say Goodbye” is a promising debut by writer E.J. Rand. It tells the story of Gary, who is reluctantly drawn into solving the mystery of the murder of his neighbor. The neighbor was killed in a car accident, but comments he made to Gary that very morning, as well as the widow’s convictions that something else happened, triggers Gary into promising to look into things. The deeper he looks, the deeper he finds himself in danger. Those around him who had any connection to the murdered man are finding themselves to be new targets.
The sole witness to the accident is Becca, who interjects herself right into the middle of things. She originally comes to share her condolences and tell what happened at the scene of the crime, but soon is right along with Gary, trying to find out what truly happened and trying to do it in time to save her own life.
The writing was a bit stilted at times, as though the author wasn’t able to really let go and just write. The mystery aspect of this book was good, and it did keep the reader in suspense. The characters, however, need work. It is impossible to believe that Gary and Becca, both coming along with so much baggage, would fall in love pretty much immediately, and that Gary would propose out of nowhere. There never felt like a true connection between these characters at all and their conversations felt forced and awkward most of the time.
Despite the character weaknesses, “Say Goodbye” was an easy read and it did its job of drawing the reader in to find out what happened.
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