Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Truth or a Reasonable Doubt

When Jackie Whitney, an auto-parts heiress, is found dead in the closet of her Chicago apartment, the police think they've got the killer. Kate, a girl from Appalachia, was Jackie's assistant, and the police are convinced she was stealing money from Jackie.

Jules Landeau is contacted by Debbie, Kate's pubic defender. Debbie isn't sure it's a good idea to hire Landeau, but Kate is able to pay, and Debbie is okay with the situation as long as he keeps his activities to finding a reasonable doubt. The isn't something Landeau is comfortable with. He wants the truth: who is guilty?

This is a typical old time detective novel. Landeau works alone looking for clues and following up leads. I enjoy this type of detective story. It lets you play along and try to solve the crime. The only problem I have with this novel is that it was quite easy to figure out who was involved in the murder. It took longer for the motive to come out.

Landeau is a likable character. It's hard not to empathize with his need to find the truth. The breaks in the action where he pursues Tamar, the baker with whom he wants more of a relationship, don't detract from the action and provide a chance for Landeau to recap the latest developments.

If you enjoy a good detective story, I recommend this one.


I received this book from Alibi for this review.  

No comments:

Post a Comment