BlackFive

The following book review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Palindrome by E. Z. Rinsky blends a murder mystery with the metaphysical. It asks the question many people have pondered over the ages, is there an afterlife?

Rinsky noted to blackfive.net, “I wanted to write a story I would be interested in reading. I thought about what would be the big mystery I would want to find out about and the big question came to mind, does something happen after you die? Of course, murder can play into this question. I wondered if you did have a concrete answer, would you be able to function or would it destroy you?”

The plot begins with a brutal killing and private eye Frank Lamb being offered, by a family member, a small fortune to find a cassette tape made moments before the victim was killed. After taking the case he enlists the help of his friend, Courtney Lavagnino, a reclusive tracker. Their search leads them into finding more murders and they race against time to find the meaning behind the cassette.

The interaction between Frank and Courtney may remind people of other partner teams: Starsky and Hutch, Flowers and Davenport, or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The author noted these characters “are roughly based on a good friend of mine. He was the jumping off point. There are some elements of me in Frank. The dynamic between these two is how my friend and I converse.”

Palindrome is the first atmospheric, noir mystery from debut author, E. Z. Rinsky. It is a tale of obsession, murder, and the afterlife.

The following book review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

The Coaster by Erich Wurster is his introductory novel. He has a lot of commentary on today’s society and how it works including humorous discussions between husband and wife. Unlike some other characters these are not wacky and zany but the humor comes with the funny observations.

The plot has Bob Patterson married to an heiress who makes a hefty salary. But after her father dies of a heart attack his will puts Bob in charge. One company makes a pitch to have Bob’s firm become a partner. After refusing he is blackmailed, has his family threatened, and to protect those he loves becomes engaged in criminal activities.

Wurster commented to blackfive.net, “I write the kind of book I want to read, a story with a regular guy who gets into some kind of trouble. My protagonist does not react heroically all the time. The way he thinks about the world is the way I think. Who hasn’t coasted in life?”

Readers might think of a comical Breaking Bad intertwined with Secrets and Lies.