October 29, 2004

Alexander Hamilton Stone, a modern-day Bogart type with a sense of humor and a private investigator in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. His reputation is based upon honesty, integrity, and a twenty-five year warranty on your new roof.

Penelope Harmon is the superbly beautiful devoted secretary. She constantly gives off the aura that she has had a physical relationship with Stone in the past and that some of it still hangs around even though nothing has ever come of their “friendly” relationship.

Stone receives a call from Detective Felton Isaac Bradshaw summoning him to 225 Dexter Avenue. Both men have known each other since grade school. Upon arriving at the requested location, Stone finds Bradshaw standing next to a barely discernible corpse.

The oddity of this encounter is that Bradshaw allows Stone to move the body around, as well as handle evidence without the crime scene techs present. This doesn't register with Stone until it is too late. He’s struck from behind.

When Stone comes to, he discovers Bradshaw is dead!

The same day: Penny is summoned away by her mother– supposedly her forgotten stepbrother is back in town. Nicholas Sevier, a homicide lieutenant and his partner show up at his office. Stone is arrested for the suspected murder of his friend then released.

By the next day the plot thickens when the widow Bradshaw asks Stone to investigate her husband’s murder, federal agents join the goes investigation, an intelligent-homeless hacker gives aide, bodies are beginning to pile up, and an APB out, making Stone again a wanted man!

I got such a kick out of this detective novel, so much that I think I was grinning from ear to ear. The other characters in this story are extraordinary, they completely hold your attention and are just as interesting, perhaps even more so, than the 1941 sleuth actors.

If you're a mystery connoisseur, you will without doubt enjoy Snake Eyes!

  Reviewed by Betsie