Murder Take Two

Rating:
Summary: otally enjoyable
Review: For police chief Susan Wren, trouble started the day Hollywood decided to go on location to shoot a film in her small Kansas town, making her tiny force stretched to the max. However, Trouble with a capital T does not start until stuntwoman Kay Bender, a ringer for superstar Laura Edwards, is killed during a shoot.

During the initial inquiries, Susan learns that Laura has been the victim of several threatening notes. Susan also finds out that her current boy friend, police officer Ben Pankhurst, used to be Laura's spouse, disqualifying him from the case. As Susan digs deeper into the lives of the personalities involved, someone else is murdered. The police chief wonders if she can control her jealousy over Ben's former relationship and if Laura is the ultimate target of the killer.

The fourth Susan Wren mystery is an intriguing who-done-it because it brings much insight into the personal lives of the recurring cast. Though the interspersing of the killer's thoughts into the action seems to cause some inertia, MURDER TAKE TWO remains a well-written, often times humorous novel. Wren fans will have plenty to crow about as they soar like an eagle with Charlene Weir's latest book.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A mystery crackling with high-voltage tension and suspense
Review: Murder Take Two, by Charlene Weir, is the fourth in a series of high-voltage mysteries. Weir is a master of tight, clean prose; characters the reader can care about; and intricate, twisty plots. Susan Wren, a former San Francisco police officer, becomes police chief of Hampstead, KS, when her new husband, the former chief, is murdered. Initially Susan wants the post because she is driven to catch his killer. Now, three years later, she wonders what is keeping her in this small town where she is still the outsider. Realizing that one part of the answer is something she would prefer not to admit even to herself--her attraction to second in command Ben Parkhurst--she tries unsuccessfully to stamp out her interest in him. In Murder Take Two, a Hollywood film crew is on location in Hampstead. When a stunt double is killed, Susan learns that the movie's leading lady, the lovely Laura, was once married to Parkhurst. Susan orders him off the case, but with Laura begging him to protect her, he can't stay away. As Susan struggles with her jealousy and Parkhurst's insubordination, an appealing young officer, Yancie, follows a string of bizarre episodes to the book's explosive ending. This series has everything going for it: fascinating characters, a sense of place so real you find yourself slapping mosquitoes, and ingenuous, complex plots. Don't miss it.