 Providing splendid character growth, flamboyant scenarios, and an engrossing plotline serving to maintain and forward the flow of the tale Reid constructs classic cozy type detective novel certain to satisfy fans of well wrought unassuming mysteries.
Reviewed by Molly Martin
Merryll Manning TRAPPED On Mystery Island
by John Howard Reid
Lulu
Paperback: 200 pages
June 24, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-1435720855
John Howard Reid’s Merryll Manning TRAPPED On Mystery Island is number 1 in the Merry Manning series.
When Florida Police Sergeant Merry, Merryll, Manning and his 20 something girl friend arrive for a a murder mystery weekend in an old Dominican priory on Cross Key Island complete with a throng, 16 in all, of captivating fellow guests who have paid a thousand dollar fee per person for the opportunity to attend, and perhaps win the $5,000 prize for correctly naming the victim, or victims and who has accomplished the dastardly deed of murder they are expecting nothing more than perhaps an interesting weekend, and maybe coming home a little richer.
In addition to the paying guests will be someone, a plant, an actor if you will, who will be playing the role of the victim, another one or two, maybe even three more actors who will fill various roles. Of course the paying guests do not know who is a paying guest and who is an actor.
The setting is perfect, an old monastery. The mystery weekenders are perfect and include a Catholic priest, two men who profess to be actors, another who says he is an attorney and one who is a semi retired businessman. Several are artists or artisans including craftspersons, and a novelist, while 3 hold positions in the Paradise, Florida, AVEPA Club. All in all they are a mixed bag and sure to add to the fun of the weekend.
To date; Mr Mystery, Clifford Yates, has conducted several of these murder mystery weekends.
The weekend begins as is wont for murder mystery dinner, weekend or what have you as the various ‘guests’ arrive aboard Clifford Yates boat. Passengers become acquainted, take one another’s measure and formulate their idea as to the identity of the soon to be victim whose demise they are to ascertain as the first requirement for winning the $5,000 prize. The game is two part, first name to victim, then discover the murderer.
Soon the group individually tender their vote for identity of the victim before gathering for supper prior to the all important Reading of the Will. With group assembled for the reading of the will the first actor is revealed, he is the one playing the lawyer who will be revealing the contents of the will. And, the lights go out, when power is returned the lawyer lays dead with a rubber dagger to the heart, and no will, it has been pinched as has the second one to be ready only if --.
The second actor is revealed within minutes as a police Inspector takes over the situation; he opens the envelopes and it is found the only Merry provided the correct answer regarding identity of the first victim.
Grousing ensues immediately with various of the players insisting that Merry has an unfair advantage because he is a police officer while others insist no way Merry is a cop.
And the plot thickens. One of the guests goes out for a smoke break on the beach, and does not return, Merry discovers that while there are 16 guests listed there are actually some extra people on the island and Merry steps into what must be blood which leads him to an actual murdered victim.
And now, Merry has his work cut out for him. There is no way off the island until Mr Mystery returns with the boat at the end of the weekend, various of the guest are being conned by one of those extra players who wants to share the prize money for information he can impart, the phone lines are not working and everyone is suddenly fearful and suspicious of everyone else. Merry takes over the investigation until even Merry himself is thought to be the murderer by some.
The narrative surges forward, Reid adroitly uses more than a little tongue in cheek bantering between Merry and various of the players to present plausible reasons for why first one and then another of the characters just may be the actual murderer.
Writer Reid provides the details, factors, and aspects to paint his scenes with realism, cloak his characters with credible traits and present a just plain fun read. I like the asides, repartee and diverse group of characters with which Reid peoples his works. While the launch work for the series, TRAPPED On Mystery Island is the second Merry Manning work I have read. Both have proven to be filled with the suspense, use of expression, parlance and idiom along with intricate stratagem needed to keep me turning the page.
Trapped On Mystery Island serves to introduce to the uninitiated the unmatched visualization of Reid’s one of a kind leading character. On the one hand Merry is a rough, straightforward investigator who tends at the odd moment to lapse into moments of whimsy.
Providing splendid character growth, flamboyant scenarios, and an engrossing plotline serving to maintain and forward the flow of the tale Reid constructs classic cozy type detective novel certain to satisfy fans of well wrought unassuming mysteries.
All in all John Howard Reid’s Merryll Manning TRAPPED On Mystery Island is an engrossing read sure to please those who enjoy cozy type mysteries. I look forward to reading more of this most pleasurable series.
Reviewed by: molly martin
www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin
www.AuthorsDen.com/mjhollingshead
20+ years classroom teacher
www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin
www.AuthorsDen.com/mjhollingshead
20+ years classroom teacher
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