Old Poison

Rating:
Summary: A great debut novel that will keep you turning pages.
Review: Diana Hunter, a private investigator, is asked to check out the possibility of the existence of a new environmentally friendly fuel that is contained in a document called the Martian Diary. Believing that this is simply a crank case Diana agrees to meet with the author of the document Evelyn Lilac. She soon discovers herself in the middle of an unprovoked attack and an unexplained death.
The story builds in tension as Diana travels from deserts of New Mexico to the jungles of Costa Rica in order to find the reasons for Lilac's death. As the body count rises Diana finds herself dealing with environmentalists, crackpots, and unscrupulous corporate agents.

Joan Francis has written a good debut novel, which will keep you turning the pages. Her own experience as reporter, a private investigator, her knowledge of mining camps from New Mexico to South America along with her keen eye for detail adds depth to the story. The character of Diana Hunter is well rounded out and the story is extremely well edited. I look forward to future adventures of Diana Hunter by the very talented author.

'Lillian Porter

Rating:
Summary: A very smart mystery from an intelligent PI
Review: Joan Francis' book Old Poison has a heckuva lot going for it. An intriguing set of characters, a great plot, timely material, clever set dressing and lots more. I liked her female PI protagonist a lot and it's because Francis knows her stuff - she was a PI herself. Learn what it takes to be a sucessful modern PI and what kind of sleazebags you can run up against. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Read!
Review: This is a fun book that is a quick read. The character is witty and adventurous. It is fast paced and has many surprises. There is a feel of realism in the fiction that leaves you wondering about real life current events. Highly recommended.