Luke MurphyRezensionen

*the author provided me with a copy of the book for review purposes.*

Luke Murphy’s novel Kiss & Tell is perfect for fans of Harlen Coben and Jonathan Kellerman. I really enjoyed the main character, Charlene. She’s a bit of a mess, a feisty rookie cop coping with personal demons and dealing with a bit of an alcohol problem AND the recent murder of her father. Her tough cop persona is balanced with a more gentle side seen when she is working with victims and possible witnesses. Charlene is flawed and believable.

There is a lot going on in this fast-paced story as Charlene juggles two cases – a high-profile murder and her own father’s murder. Her father’s death becomes more complicated when she discovers that it was tied to a serial killer – a killer that seems to know more about her than she does about him. This story has plenty of twists and turns, and the pace is fast. The murder scenes are plenty grisly, the police procedural aspect is sharp, plenty of suspense provided from the serial killer angle, and there is a human aspect as we see Charlene’s personal struggles (and sometimes poor choices.)

Murphy does an excellent job with character development – and there are a lot of them. Early on, it almost felt like too many to keep up with as there were so many potential suspects for the high-profile death, but the twists were enough to keep me hanging in there. At one point, one storyline was so gripping that I nearly forgot she still had another mystery to solve!

The cover reads that Kiss & Tell is A Charlene Taylor Mystery, so I hope there are more books coming as I’m looking forward to more of Charlene!

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2019/06/foodfic-please-welcome-back-luke-murphy.ht...

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2017/10/foodfic-please-welcome-back-luke-murphy.ht...

Good, but not quite good enough to get a 4 star rating. Very entertaining.½

Author's guest post at my blog:
http://bookfare.blogspot.com/2014/03/foodfic-please-welcome-luke-murphy.html

Published by Imajin Books
Reviewed from e-book

Luke Murphy's debut fiction kept me off-balance most of the way through the book. I was surprised with the beginning and equally surprised by the ending. This high-powered, fast-paced murder mystery is placed in the city that doesn't sleep, Las Vegas. Plenty of suspense and few clues which tend to lead nowhere. Which suspect can be trusted, is there a rogue politician or cop in the mix that might be suspected of complicity? This is the theme that will keep the police hog-tied as corruption rears its oversized head. It quickly becomes a series of murders that will keep the reader(s) on their toes. Cut to the bare bones, the mystery of the crime seems to be easy to solve, but is it?

From the title it is obvious that the story revolves around gambling and casinos. Too many casinos, it would appear. One lone cop in charge of this case, Detective Dale Dayton, believes in the innocence of the most probable suspect, Calvin Watters. At the same time, his sergeant continues to draw a few lines he can't cross. Dayton does not appear to have a winning hand, not even a full deck. About this time the reader will question who is actually on the right track, because the murderer hasn't stopped at one death and time is running out.

There are several twists and turns in the story. Just when you think you've got it right, you're thrown another curve. The characters are so well-drawn that the reader will easily be double-guessing who did what, when and where. How many have been set up to take the fall? Who is pulling the strings that tie the hands of the homicide division? Are these really "perfect" murders? An exceptional first novel, gritty storyline to sink your teeth in, wonderful characters to root for or against. Excellent first book in what hints at the possibility of future adventures with these unlikely characters. I certainly hope so, this could be a fascinating series! Kudos to Luke Murphy, great job!