Carol Golden is asked to help Peter Griffenham recover a chunk of money he's lost in a scam, but he doesn't want to go to the police, and by the time she gets involved the prime suspect, a dazzling redhead named Amy, has disappeared along with the money. Or has she? Perhaps that was only the first chapter, to be followed by a much larger scam. Can Carol help prevent chapter two?
By the time Carol Golden is asked to help an old friend of her in-laws who lives on the beach in Southern California, it appears that the damage has already been done in the form of a scam that has separated retired business professor Peter Griffenham from a sizeable chunk of money. All Carol can hope to do is help to find the culprits and, hopefully, get some of the money back. She is also saddled with a bouncing one-year-old boy who inhibits her activities. The chief suspect, a bewitching redheaded actress named Amy, has disappeared,and Peter is reluctant to go to the police because he’s afraid his son, David, will use his mental lapse as an excuse to attempt to gain control of his entire estate. Carol tries to separate herself from Peter’s problems after he refuses to take her advice, but events rapidly spiral out of control as it appears the con artists are after a much larger piece of his money. Carol keeps getting pulled back into the mess, trying to help Peter maintain his independence and at least some of his money, but the outcome will be far different than she has envisioned.
Professional Reviews
New Spin on the Story
The latest book, #6 in the Carol Golden series and once again Alan Cook has put a new spin into the story. Carol, the girl of many names and few memories, is now the wife of Rigo who saved her life in the first book, and the mother of Stevie, an adventurous and bold one-year-old. One might say that he is determined enough to maybe someday follow in his mother's footsteps.
This time around, Carol finds herself completely befuddled in how to deal with the elderly victim of a huge scam who refuses to go to the police. Both are rather adept in figures and puzzles, but Peter Griffenham, a retired professor who taught business courses, seems reluctant to pursue any action on his behalf to reclaim a very large sum of money that he wired to an unknown. Though he worries his son is going to try to get control of his money, he has just parted with $100,000 to an off-shore account. Is this the action of the author of a book, "Holding on to Your Money" he wrote years ago?
It's hard not to like Peter, but equally hard not to give up on him, enough to want to pull your hair out. He's not dense or senile, one supposes he is one of those people who either don't want to admit they made a mistake or one who doesn't want to get anyone in trouble. Whichever, it seems that one embezzler has been beaten to the punch by another. Amy is a delightful surprise in this book; she is smart, beautiful, an actress and a puzzle. The relationship between Peter and Amy is unusual but I feel both benefit from meeting each other, not in the usual beneficial way of friends but friendly with a few surprises. What is keeping Peter from going to the police or a lawyer? Who does he really suspect? For that matter, he seems to have a few surprising secrets himself. Another fascinating book by Alan Cook, as always, I find the gymnastics of logic in the story fun.
--Betty Gelean
A great title. That's why I dropped by to check it out. Congratulations on six of the series books. A good accomplishment.
Reviewed by Paula Curran
10/11/2017
This was a short, but enjoyable read. I found the writing somewhat undeveloped at the beginning, but yet the writer was able to capture my attention and keep me reading. The plot was interesting and timely as the elderly as moneyed targets makes daily headlines. There were characters sufficient to produce interest without confusing the plot line excessively. Throughout the story, this reader identified with the private investigator's opinions about the protagonist and the apparent antagonist and was as surprised as she was at how the writer creatively resolved the conflict. A short story, simply written, but enjoyable nonetheless. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Killer With Three Heads is the second book in the Killer series. Bulletproof Morris ‘Mojo’ Johnson returns to New York as John Morrison after a 10 years’ absence to find the people responsible for kidnapping his daughter, Maria.
