The Dead Detective

Lorene Robbins
Swimming Kangaroo Books (2006)
ISBN 9781934041048
Reviewed by Patti Yackulic for Reader View (6/07)

A late Friday evening meeting, with a new client, scheduled in an unsavory section of town, definitely was not consistent with freelance-computer-consultant CJ Thomas’ customary business pattern. Nevertheless, she readily deviated from her comfort zone when Leo Kajosh requested that she accompany him to his friend Cecil Dirkwood’s home to upgrade Dirkwood’s computer system. However, if CJ could possibly have anticipated the consequences of wavering from her routine, she would steadfastly have refused this appointment. After all, CJ could never possibly have entertained the notion that she would discover her client’s body let alone that her client, turned ghost, would convince her to turn sleuth in order to solve the mystery of his murder. Nor could CJ have envisioned that this intrigue would kindle a flame for her and Lieutenant Frank Guerman, the police detective assigned to the Dirkwood murder investigation.

A murder, a ghost, and a love interest surely define all the requisite elements of the light “who-done-it” penned by the husband and wife team writing under the pseudonym, Lorene Robbins. Although this mystery, at times, is predictable, Robbins’ integration of numerous characters with plausible motives ensures that readers are continually revamping their predictions. Nevertheless, the reader has ample opportunity to determine the guilty party well before the novel concludes. In the case of “The Dead Detective,” predictability does not diminish the enjoyment of the readers as they plod through the pages. Obviously, Robbins never intended this novel to be an edgy mystery, but rather Robbins created the novel as an exercise in levity requiring the readers to stimulate their brains as they labor through possible scenarios much in the same fashion they would as they solve crossword puzzles. Indeed, Robbins’ efforts are a resounding success; “The Dead Detective” is a pleasant diversion from the serious demands of reality.

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