Review of CEREAL KILLER by G. A. McKevett

A SAVANNAH REID MYSTERY

Kensington Books, January 2004

When Private Detective Savannah Reid gets a call from her police ex-partner, she doesn't hesitate to check out the case. For one thing, the dead woman is a famous plus-size supermodel and Savannah is a plus-sized private investigator. For another, Savannah's sister, Marietta, is visiting and Savannah is looking for an excuse to get away before she has to hear any more about the dream date Marietta found over the Internet. The death looks natural--the woman appeared to have died of heat and dehydration as she attempted to lose weight for a diet cereal commercial, but there are a few suspicious signs. And suspicion grows to certainty when another plus-sized model is found run over.

Author G. A. McKevett (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of books by McKevett) uses an approachable first-person style and mixes up a humerous blend of personality traits and adventure to make CEREAL KILLER a fast and fun read. Savannah's life philosophy (the way to prevent carbohydrate sugar bounce is to buy a half-dozen maple sticks rather than just two) will appeal to many readers, but she has her serious side too--and it's hard not to identify with her desire to hunt down whomever might be killing these beautiful women.

From a mystery perspective, I would have liked to see a few more suspects, and from a personality perspective, I would have liked it if Savannah had, occasionally realized that she was being as opinionated and judgemental about others as she was, but these may be personal likes and neither is really a flaw in this short novel. The pathetic romantic subplot of Savannah's sister and Savannah's own empty lovelife provide a subtle echo to the problems in the mystery--adding depth to a well written story.

Three Stars

Reviewed 3/17/04

Ready to buy it now? Click the buy now button.

Have a web site? Check out these free services.