First Lady

Rating:
Summary: Reviving the Twenties Southern Style.
Review: After seven other novels, this is a long-awaited sequel to those featuring detectives in a college town in North Carolina where a luxury resort is built to look like one back in the Twenties. Does the South have a fixation on that time period -- here in Knoxville, after many months of commotion the major movie theater has been transformed back to the Twenties with all its garishness and frivolity but definitely old fashioned appearance. An attempt at glamor by using four large chandeliers in the long, slanting lobby make it bright, but the addition of a well-stocked bar where a small concession stand had been previously, plus one downstairs where they modernized the ladies' room with mirrors and more lights, make it more like a brothel and nothing like it was meant to be. They even removed the movie screen so that the stage could hold the full Symphony and Opera characters, took away its character completely.

At Hillston, the author claims, the South has not only forgotten the past, it has forgotten the whole idea of the past. Not so, here -- as the entire downtown has gone overboard in making the place look old. Everything is the past, as certain people with selective memories would have you believe. There's nothing beautiful about the past in this town, only old crumbling storefronts good for nothing except being "the past." All the good memories of growing up here were dashed by omission -- what a shame. The Twenties here were not exceptional, though there were a couple of vaudeville theaters (not reputable) for the crude, rude men about town.

This is the South, though there is no gentility or upper crust per se. Here if you make the Sunday paper society page, you have money and it doesn't matter how you came by it. The women here are not beautiful (even when dressed to the hilt), the men simply self-important.

A lady in red appears along the horse trail near the luxury resort to cast a spell as she dives naked into the lake. There was a killer in this town, though not the usual low-life type. This one is educated and associated with the college. He's verified by his prolific e-mail to one of the victims, over a 4th of July no one cared to celebrate. He'd already killed his wife and parents (leaders of the town's social elite) among others.

His compulsive 272 e-mails were a Rosetta Stone of research for profiling the sociopathic personality and had attracted the coverage on CNN, MSNBC and Fox networks. The city council took advantage of the media coverage as the prof had given the Southern college town a black eye. The mayor and council wanted the fame and fortune anyway they could acquire it to promote the old-fashioned "peace in the valley."

The first lady proclaimed the chielf of police deserved the medal for apprehending the criminal. As they prepared for the Independence Day fireworks (nothing like the extravanganza this town throws), the police creed is that freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

The lady in red had been a rock singer who made a profound effect on him. Just human, he'd say, but as he spoke of his broken heart and shed some tears over his loss, as small town life tries to return to normal after this foray into criminal notoriety, he has some problem with fantasy wishes and down-to-earth reality.

Rating:
Summary: great writing, weak solution
Review: As predicted by many reviewers, i found this book to be absorbing -- well written, and the characters intriguing, at least for the most part. maybe i am too old, but I found the "wild" rock star to be very unappealing, and while this is not a fault of the author (who may have wanted her to be so?) i wanted scenes in which she starred to end. I didn't like her.
A more valid criticism is that the i thought the villain was much too obvious.

This is the first of the justin/cuddy books i read, and i jumped right into the earlier ones. I am finding that overall, I like Time's Witness more than First Lady. (and guys, tell me: do any real men pine for a teenage love their entire adult lives? I find it hard to believe).

Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues.....
Review: Hillston, North Carolina Police Chief, Cuddy Mangum has his hands full, and it looks like his beloved job is on the line. Just as he's being recognized, nationally, as an innovative crime fighter, and his department is ranked number one in small cities in the south, there appears to be a serial killer loose in Hillston, murdering and mutilating women. To make matters worse, this brazen killer seems to be taunting and challenging Cuddy and his best friend, Homicide Lieutenant, Justin Savile V, personally, leaving the two of them messages on the bodies, and clues in their offices, homes and cars. The entire police department is running in circles, and beginning to look both inept, and incapable of solving these crimes. As the body count rises, North Carolina politics come into play, and Cuddy and Justin are issued an ultimatum...solve these crimes, now, or turn in your resignations..... After ten years, Michael Malone is finally back with a new mystery starring his most memorable characters, Cuddy Mangum and Justin Savile V, from his critically acclaimed novels, Uncivil Seasons and Time's Witness. Unfortunately, First Lady is not nearly as good as the previous two books, and has some problems. Though the writing is crisp and eloquent, and the dialogue, wonderful, the plot is neither tight, suspenseful, nor all that compelling, and tends to ramble all over the place. Instead of being intriguing and intricate, the story line tends to be confusing and unbelievable and Mr Malone ties up the loose ends with a predictable and unsatisfying ending. That said, his characterizations are brilliant and unrivaled, and he brings Hillston and the New South to life with imagination, and great insight, wisdom and humor. If you're a Michael Malone fan, you probably won't want to miss the continuing saga of Mangum and Savile. For those new to this author, go back and read his much better previous works, and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: Malone's "Handling Sin" is one of my all-time favorites, so I was delighted to see "First Lady." It was fascinating--very complex plot--although I sometimes got restless with Justin's insistence at wallowing in misery. Cuddy was great, though, and the deductive processes were excellent. I had my suspicions, but wasn't sure about the killer's identity until the very end. Great job! I'm going back to read the other two in the series now, and have already recommended "First Lady" to two other readers. And if you haven't read "Handling Sin," try it!

Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: Michael Malone brings back Police Chief Cuddy Mangum and Lt. Justin Savile V to investigate a rash of murders in the town of Hillston, North Carolina. An unknown assailant is killing young women and leaving taunting messages to the police chief and his lieutenant. Things get a bit worse when it appears that a popular rock singer is the next victim of the killer the press has dubbed Guess Who. When it turns out that it was not the singer but somebody else the town council demands results from the local police department.

Mr. Malone does an excellent job in telling this story. He pays attention to every single one of his characters and each one of them brings an element to the plot. The characters range from the politician who is obstructing justice, the policewoman who wants to be there for her Chief but also there for her niece, and the news reporter who loses her job after one of her stories prove to be false. The reader gets to know each player in this book intimately and gets to laugh and cry together with the protagonists. The plot is well executed and a joy to read. Malone does not concentrate solely on the Guess Who killer but also on the town's day to day. The author has a great grasp of language and makes the story interesting at all times. This is my first Michael Malone novel and it will not be my last.

Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: No, not finally did Malone write another book. Finally, I found another top notch, first rate mystery writer. They are few and hard to come by. Take everything good that has been said about this author and the Justin/Cuddy series and multiply it a few times. Start with the first book. Sadly, there are only three.

Rating:
Summary: Not "Time's Witness"
Review: Okay, so I figured out whodunit about 100 pages before the cops did; so it's not as intricate and absorbing as "Time's Witness" (which I consider to be not only one of the finest mysteries, but one of the finest novels ever written); so Michael Malone writing in Justin Saville's voice is less successful than he is when writing in Cuddy Mangum's voice (you need to have read the previous books to know what I'm talking about -- is it just me or is Justin a bit of a drip?) -- all that taken into consideration, this is still a terrific read. Malone, speaking in whomever's voice, is still head and shoulders above 95% of every other mystery/humor writer out there. His ear for dialogue never fails, his plotting is always taut. All three of the Justin/Cuddy books are literate, twisty, witty -- just plain great. Start with the first ("Uncivil Seasons") because there are characters and history there that will make "Time's Witness" (wow, what a book!!) and "First Lady" resonate all the more. Why Malone isn't as successful as Grisham is beyond me. He's only 100 times better.

Rating:
Summary: Finding the Pattern
Review: This is a good southern story conveyed with intelligence and flair. Cuddy Mangum is the police chief. His friend, Justin Savile heads the homicide division. He serves as the narrator. He knows Cuddy loves the governor's wife and will not reveal the fact.

There is an unsolved murder, the victim having the same appearance as one in another jurisdiction. Bubba Percy, state house press secretary, goes to Cuddy to report the death of a noted new blues singer, Mavis Mahan. The governor is mixed up with the singer and the sheriff and others seem to be asserting control over the investigation awfully quickly. Cuddy claims it is a suspicious death within his city's, Hillston's, limits. Justin discerns that the person involved in the homicide simply resembles the singer. Soon the identification emerges of Lucy Griggs.

Hillston is supposed to be a small city in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Cuddy tells a lot of state officials to resign before he charges them with conspiracy to tamper with a crime scene and destroy evidence. The governor's wife has always felt she belongs to the state because it made her family wealthy. The wife of the governor sends a message to Cuddy via Justin not to hurt himself on her behalf.

Cuddy needs to establish who is the perpetrator of the serial crimes. Whoever he is, he is close to the Hillston police department. This is way better than the usual crime story. There are many colorful characters and much realistic detail. The plot is convoluted but reasonable in the bizarre world of tormented miscreants.

Rating:
Summary: International Rock Star & Small Town Politics
Review: This story kept me quessing until the end!
That's what makes this such a good book. Lots of clues but no give away information.
This is the first book I've read by this author but it won't be my last, that's for sure.
There's small town politics threaded through the whole story. It gives the book a touch of humor without turning the story into a silly whimsy......far from it! Very serious "who-done-it" situations. A story showing how some politicians can play a game with innocent people and how rock stars can mesmerize their fans.
Who is this sick serial killer? Is there a connection between the super Rock Star, the murderer, and the philandering mayor?
The character developement is terrific.
The story is one that is interesting right up to the last pages and is FULL of surprises!
Add this to your list of "must read" books.
A story you will remember for a long time.