The Last Clinic
By Gary Gusick
Publisher: Alibi
Published: Nov. 18, 2013
ISBN: 9780345548887
Amazon Synopsis:
Outside
the local women’s health clinic, the Reverend Jimmy Aldridge waving his protest
sign is a familiar sight. But that changes early one morning when someone
shoots the beloved Reverend Jimmy dead. Sheriff Shelby Mitchell knows the
preacher’s murder will shock the good people of Jackson—and the pressure to
find the killer is immediate and intense, which is why Shelby calls in
detective Darla Cavannah.
When police detective Darla moved from Philadelphia to Jackson with her husband—hometown football hero Hugh “the Glue” Cavannah—she never imagined the culture shock that awaited. Then after Hugh dies in a car crash, Darla enters a self-imposed exile in her Mississippi home, taking a leave of absence from the
When police detective Darla moved from Philadelphia to Jackson with her husband—hometown football hero Hugh “the Glue” Cavannah—she never imagined the culture shock that awaited. Then after Hugh dies in a car crash, Darla enters a self-imposed exile in her Mississippi home, taking a leave of absence from the
sheriff’s department. Now she’s called back
to duty—or coerced, more like it, with Shelby slathering on his good-ole-boy
charm nice and thick, like on a helping of barbecue.
Reluctantly partnered with a mulish Elvis impersonator, Darla keeps a cool head even as the community demands an arrest. The court of public opinion has already convicted the clinic’s doctor, Stephen Nicoletti, but Darla is just as sure he’s not guilty—even as she fights her growing attraction to him. From the genteel suburbs to a raunchy strip club, Darla follows a trail of dirty money and nasty secrets—until the day of judgment comes, and she faces down an ungodly assassin.
Reluctantly partnered with a mulish Elvis impersonator, Darla keeps a cool head even as the community demands an arrest. The court of public opinion has already convicted the clinic’s doctor, Stephen Nicoletti, but Darla is just as sure he’s not guilty—even as she fights her growing attraction to him. From the genteel suburbs to a raunchy strip club, Darla follows a trail of dirty money and nasty secrets—until the day of judgment comes, and she faces down an ungodly assassin.
Book Links
My Thoughts:
This is definitely not a book
that fits within the Christian genre. The characters that claim to be
Christians in this novel engage in behaviour that directly opposes good moral
behaviour.
When Detective Darla Cavannah
is called in to work the murder case of Reverend Jimmy Aldridge with Tommy
Reylander, the department’s Elvis impersonator and Reverend’s parishioner,
things are twice as tough for Darla. Not only does she have to solve the
murder, she has to keep Reylander from tainting the case with his preconceived
prejudices. Tommy is set to arrest and charge the Dr. Nicoletti, abortion
clinic’s doctor for the murder even before all the evidence has been gathered.
Having worked in vice in
Philadelphia, when Darla finds the large amount of cash in the glove
compartment in the preacher’s vehicle, she knows there’s more going on. While
Tommy tries to find more evidence against Dr. Nicoletti, Darla follows the
money trail.
The author did an excellent
job of creating a mystery with surprising events in the plot. There were really
two mysteries that were connected in this story and it was interesting to see
how things played out and how they ended up being connected.
I didn’t like that all the
people who were supposed to be Christians in this book were all corrupt in some
way, not living by the standards that Christians claim to live by. However, I
suppose that since the leader of the church was corrupt it stands to reason
that those under his leadership would follow in that way also.
I was surprised that Darla
and Tommy did not work as a team. They both did their own investigating, each
interviewing the same suspects on their own which seemed to me to be a waste of
taxpayer’s money and aggravating for witnesses and suspects alike. It also
didn’t seem to be the way things would have been handled realistically. On the
other hand, if I were Darla, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend any time with
Tommy either.
I enjoyed the mystery of this
novel. It was quite intriguing. I enjoyed the character of Darla Cavannah. I am
looking forward to reading the next novel by Gary Gusick.
I gave this novel a rating of
4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
Thank you to the publisher,
Alibi, via NetGalley, for providing a review copy in exchange for a fair and
honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Gary Gusick is a retired advertising executive with over thirty
years experience as a copywriter and creative director. He is a multiple winner
of virtually every national and international award for creative excellence in
advertising.
The Last Clinic is his first novel. The Alzheimer's Patient Who
Couldn't Forget, Gary's second novel, another murder mystery, is currently
available on Amazon/Kindle.
Gary is married and lives in Jackson, Mississippi.
Contact the Author
No comments :
Post a Comment