“Having endured the seedy
world of tabloid journalism at the Weekly Galaxy,
ambitious reporter Sara Joslyn has finally moved on to Trend, a hip New York magazine. But
news is news, and Sara is immediately sent to Branson, Missouri, the capital of
wholesome entertainment, to cover a sensational celebrity trial. Embattled
country music legend Ray Jones is accused of a brutal kidnapping and killing.
Making—and mucking—matters worse, Sara’s sleazy former colleagues from
the Weekly Galaxy have also
infested the town. Sara is surprised by how much she enjoys a bit of pure,
proud Americana—as well as the ruggedly smooth Ray Jones. But when he’s
suspected of a second homicide, Sara realizes there’s more to the story. And
that someone decidedly unwholesome is getting away with murder in the
heartland.”
Apparently, this is a sequel
Trust Me on This, a previous Westlake novel I’ve yet to get to (but have),
which sort of explains a lot. All through the book, I felt I was missing
something, but could not figure out what it was. Pulling information on my
review, I discovered why.
Westlake takes a break from
his beloved New York and moves down to Branson, Missouri, for this reasonably good whodunit about a famous musician being tried
for murder and the machinations that journalists (both good and bad) get up to.
By setting the story in the south, you still get occasional doses Westlake’s patented metaphors and some goofy twists. Of course, setting it in Branson, allows Westlake to mock everything about the place, but like any northern writer taking on the south’s weirdness, it sometimes comes across as mean-spirited. The characters are all pretty horrible, which is another trademark of the writer, but there is a bit of overused put-downs of fat people and fried food.
It has a
clever twist at the ending, which does show not everyone is an idiot. And the
fact that everything is laid out throughout the book and I still surprised at
the long con, shows you what Westlake was always brilliant at –keep them
guessing.
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