Review: Quick and the Dead by Susan Moody

Alex Quick was once a Detective Inspector. Now after a failed marriage to another policeman and a miscarriage, she has turned her efforts to making art books with her partner Helena Drummond. When Helena fails to show up for an important meeting with a publisher, Alex goes to her house and finds a woman rather viciously murdered in Helena’s bed. Was Helena the killer or possibly the intended victim?

With Helena being a suspect, Alex sets out to prove her innocence, but instead finds that she knows less about her friend than she thought she did. Alex uses her contacts among the police to aid her. She also acquires a bookseller as a sort of sidekick for some of her investigations.

Susan Moody does a good job building suspense as the novel progresses. Still it is occasionally slow in parts. She kept me guessing as to the identity of the killer. Every time I thought I knew who it was, something would happen to disturb that notion. My only complaints with the mystery are that I felt there needed to be a little more foreshadowing concerning the identity of the killer and that the book ended sort of abruptly. As a result, I give this book 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars. It’s a good book, but it needed a little more towards the end. I would still recommend it for anyone who likes British mysteries. Bear in mind the initial crime scene is described rather brutally, but it is not dwelt upon in detail through the rest of the book.

Quick and the Dead is due out May 1, 2016 from Severn House Publishers. This is the first book in a projected series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.