MURDER OFF THE BOOKS
By Evelyn David
Echelon Press
www.echelonpress.com
ISBN: 1590805224
288 pages, Paperback, $12.99 US
Genre: Mystery

Rachel Brenner has just started her new job at O'Herlihy Funeral Home when she learns her brother Dan Thayer is wanted by the police for embezzling money from the college he worked for as well as murdering a coworker. It's bad enough she is being questioned by detectives but private investigator Mackenzie Sullivan is always hanging around with inquiries of his own. Mac has been hired by the university's insurance company to find the money and he figures the best lead to Dan is through his sister. Bodies start popping up everywhere, all with ties to Dan, and Rachel is desperate to prove her brother's innocence while Mac is on his trail, determined to put him in jail.

This is a real whodunit with a fast pace and unique characters. Mac is a retired cop who drives around in everything from an ice cream truck to an exterminator's van. His sidekick Whiskey, a Wolfhound, adds extra dimension to the story and is a real treat for dog lovers. Rachel is a divorced woman with grit and determination. The fact that she and Mac are middle-aged will be appreciated (and applauded) by baby boomers. Mac's associate JJ is quirky enough to be appealing, and the chemistry between Mac and Rachel begs for further exploration in future books in this series.

Evelyn David is a pseudonym for authors Marian Edelman Borden and Rhonda Dossett. Their voices blend to a perfect pitch and make for an exciting read filled with suspense and packed with action.

Christy Tillery French