Agatha Award Finalist Why Casey Had to die
ISBN:1-59414-493-1
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Holy Crap, Casey nearly killed me!
I stayed up WAY past my bedtime because I had to finish L.C. Hayden's WHY CASEY HAD TO DIE.
God in heaven, my heart was hammering at the end. Having never read this writer before, I had no idea how ruthless she might be, and damn, if she hadn't put someone I really liked in danger. So I was lying in bed, reading as fast as I could, checking the clock and knowing I was going to regret being up this late, but I could not stop until I found out what happened.
Here's the set-up. Harry Bronson was a Dallas homicide detective. Now in his early fifties, he's been "forced" to retire. He's always been a guy who took his cases to heart, and was never afraid of bucking the political upper tier to find the resolution of a case. Now he's found himself out of the force, just for that very reason.
Not quite knowing how he's going to deal with retirement, his wife, Carol, has made him promise to take one month off and travel with her in their RV camper. She wants him as far away from police work as possible.
When Harry suddenly gets offered the job of being the "consultant" to a convention of amateur sleuths as they solve a fictional mystery, well, it seems like a fine way to have a nice vacation like Carol wants, and to slowly move his way out of being a policeman.
But before he even arrives at the convention, he's getting strange messages about the first murder case he ever handled. He was never satisfied with the solution of the case. He's always believed that the man who went to prison for killing Casey wasn't really guilty. But he'd played by the rules back then, since he was a new detective, and backed off when he'd been told to.
But the case has always stayed with him, and he's taken a copy of the file into retirement as well.
So when, upon arriving at the convention, the notes continue - and worse still - the fictional case turns out to be an exact duplicate of Casey's murder, it becomes clear to Harry that being a detective isn't going to be going away any time soon.
What is a surprise to him is that Carol, rather than resenting it, decides she's going to be his new partner. If you can't stop it, you might as well join in!
The book is fast paced, the clues there, but difficult to interpret, and the solution more than satisfactory. And Carol? She turns out to be as tough as Harry and not anybody's "little woman."
It's a tight, fascinating mystery. I can't wait to read more by this author. I urge you to hunt for it - cause WHY CASEY HAD TO DIE is a must read for sure.
WP
Currently reading :
Why Casey Had to Die: A Harry Bronson Mystery (Five Star Mystery Series)
By L. C. Hayden
See other reviews under Casey reveiws
A retired cop, a cold case, and murder at a convention honoring Dorothy L. Sayers. Entertainment guaranteed. What more could a mystery fan ask for?
Bill Crider
Author of the highly acclaimed Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery Series
