Monday, January 12, 2015

Book Review: All That Glitters by Michael Murphy



All That Glitters by Michael Murphy is the second book in the Jake & Laura Mystery series. In this adventure, Broadway actress Laura Wilson and her boyfriend, mystery writer Jake Donovan are headed to Hollywood. Laura is going to star in a movie and Jake is tagging along and prepared to get working on his next novel, one that his publisher is pressuring him to finish. Soon after they arrive, they are both whisked away to a party at the mansion owned by the head of the studio that is producing Laura’s movie. The party is a success, that is until one of the sons of the studio head is murdered. It doesn’t help matters that Jake had an altercation with the dead man earlier in the night. Jake becomes suspect number one and hopes that his involvement doesn’t land him in jail, or hurt Laura’s budding film career. Of course, the quickest way to clear his name is to find out who really killed the guy, which leaves him very little time to work on his novel. 

I couldn’t put this book down. It grabbed me right from the start and I was quickly invested in the characters and their lives. The pre-prohibition era fascinates me and the fact that it was set during such an interesting time made it a lot of fun to read. The mystery was great and really kept me guessing. There was no shortage of suspects, and I think at one time or another I suspected them all. 


Jake and Laura have been compared to The Thin Man’s Nick and Nora, and I can think of no higher praise. The time period and feel of the writing is noir, but with a twist. Murphy has added his own touch and made the genre his own. Think a little less 'dames and booze' and a little more and style and panache. A great read and wonderfully fun characters. 


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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the kinds words and for having me on one of my favorite blogs.

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    1. Hi Michael! Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to your next book.

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  2. You can't really go wrong with style and panache!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

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