Piano Man

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting debut
Review: I decided to read my way through the entire list of St. Martin's Malice Domestic winners and PIANO MAN was the first.
I was not disappointed -- it's a fine contemporary example of the traditional (or cozy) mystery.

When Paul Whitman is hired to restore three pianos on a small island in Puget Sound, he arrives eager and ready to begin. The situation begins to deteriorate immediately when it is obvious that he's expected to live and work in a dilapidated, run down chicken coop of a structure. His inquiries about his predecessor are met with evasion and soon it's obvious that he is being watched very carefully. The pianos he has been hired to restore are not only is disrepair, it is obvious that they have been severely battered - victims of violence, as it were.

This was Noreen Gilpatrick's break into print. In it she proves a master of suspense. The book is a compelling read and one I highly recommend to mystery lovers.