The Birthday Murder

Successful writer and newlywed, Victoria Jason, discovers her husband, movie producer Albert Hime, crumpled up dead at the door of his bedroom on the morning of her 35th birthday—poisoned! Inspector Richard Tuck is called in to solve the case. Victoria is automatically considered suspect number one in Albert’s demise, although she doesn’t really have a motive. In fact, no one seems to have a reason for wanting Albert dead, but—still—someone killed him! Was it the jealous best friend? The jealous ingénue? The jealous ex-husband? Was it just an accidental death at the hands of the nearsighted maid? Or maybe Victoria really did do him in…

This was an engrossing mystery novel that was hard to put down. The characters were show more interesting without necessarily being likeable. I have to admit that ‘Sawn Harriss’ has to be one of the worst character names I have ever run across in literature; it annoyed me every time it assaulted my eyeballs in print! Although the shenanigans that provided the motive for the poisoning were obvious, the actual identity of the killer came out of left field and took me completely by surprise which is always a plus in any mystery novel.

This book was a great mystery read…until the very end. The brief, 3-page ‘epilogue’ that concludes the final chapter of the story by describing what happens two months after the case has been solved is just pathetic & completely unnecessary. It pretty much succeeded in ruining the entire book for me. Utterly lame. show less