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New reviews coming soon! I'll be importing my work from the past two years, but in the meantime,
I'm reclaiming my small place on the web.

Monday, December 13, 2004

Mystery Review

Six to Five Against
by Jeff Sherratt
ISBN-10: 0975272101
Review by Heather Froeschl

Jimmie O'Brien, an ex-cop and a floundering new lawyer with a just-hung shingle, is about broke. He calls in the favor of an ex-cop buddy, a judge who has a few favors of his own he needs attended to. In fact, the judge has a big "favor" that is just right for Jimmie. The new lawyer becomes the appointed defense attorney for a murder suspect. It just so happens that the murder victim was the assistant to the state's Senator. Something smells fishy, and Jimmie jumps right into the ride of his life.

Hiring an Investigator friend for a buck, who eventually calls in a favor or two with the local Mafia, Jimmie is getting involved in his community in a big way. He's being followed, his office gets ransacked and he gets set up as a crooked, evidence-fabricating lawyer. However, Jimmie believes his client is innocent and he will do whatever it takes to prove it, thus saving an innocent man's life. On the side, he attends to fantasies he has in regards to the Assistant DA, encourages his dedicated secretary, and drinks a lot of coffee.

"Six to Five...Against" is a classic styled murder, scandal, investigative mystery suspense story. The plot is exquisitely cooked up and fed to the reader on a diner spoon. Jimmie is a down to earth hero who will keep your attention and make you feel good about reading his story. The dialogue is natural and flawless, and the settings are easily envisioned. Setting the story in the seventies is a nice addition, lending a basic police work feel to the book, leaving out the modern CSI-like forensics garble. Besides, I like living in the past a bit and the author gives authenticity to the decade portrayed with various mentions of then current affairs. My only minor problem was that there was a little too much atmospheric detail at the beginning of new locals, and I wanted to get to the nitty gritty faster. But that is just my reviewer need for speed, and I trust the average reader will enjoy the details.

I highly recommend Jeff Sherratt's work, and look forward to his next book.

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