Blog Tour: DEATH OF A BROOKLYN LANDLORD by Susan Russo Anderson

A Mystery, A Kidnapping, A Missing Mom … The First Book in a NEW Spinoff Series!

Synopsis

When newly widowed Lorraine McDuffy gets a call in the middle of the night, it’s not the ghost of her dead husband on the line, but the trembling voice of an old flame, Frank Rizzo, a local butcher. He’s found the battered body of rent-gouging Brooklyn landlord Viktor Charnov. Felled by blunt trauma to the back of his head, the victim lies in the fetal position in the back of Frank’s shop, a pork chop clenched between his teeth. The distraught butcher asks Lorraine to investigate.

As the story moves through the entangled web left behind by the landlord’s evil dealings, Lorraine searches for Viktor’s estranged wife as well as a missing teen with ties to the landlord, believed to have jumped in despair from the Brooklyn Bridge two months earlier. Along the way, Lorraine spars with Detective First Grade Jane Templeton and cares for the victim’s ten-year-old son, baseball-loving Joey Charnov, while she searches for his mother. And despite her guilt, Lorraine and Frank deepen their relationship in fits and starts.

If you’re a fan of Fina Fitzgibbons and her crew, you’ll recognize the main characters in this new series—Lorraine McDuffy, Fina’s mother-in-law and protagonist in charge of the Fina Fitzgibbons Detective Agency while Fina and Denny are on their honeymoon; detectives Jane Templeton and Willoughby, her partner Minnie, admin assistant at Lucy’s and now taking on a greater role in the agency; Cookie and her husband, Clancy; and a newcomer, Fina’s estranged father, Paddy Fitzgibbons, who creates his own boozy havoc as he tangles with Lorraine and Cookie.

Review

Lorraine is in charge of Fina's investigating business and a novice at it, but determined to solve the murder of Viktor and possibly solve the disapearance of Nati, and find Joey's mother at the same time. The three mysteries - the murder, Nati, and Joey's mother - are intricately entwined with not so subtle innuendo of possible dark motives for Viktor's murder. The detectives on the job are perturbed by Lorraine and Cookie's actions, yet reluctantly grateful for all they find out. Paddy's drinking and the whirlwind "romance" between Lorraine and Frank add to the complexity. 

I liked Lorraine and her persistence on all three of the threads that are woven through the story, even if it means angering Jane and Willoughby.  Viktor is despicable to say the least and there are many reasons to celebrate his murder. I stayed up to finish it - the story is compelling, especially with regard to Nati. That said, this portrays the darker side of human behavior and may offend some. This is my first read by Anderson and I will check out her other series.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author

Susan Russo Anderson is a writer, a mother, a member of Sisters in Crime, a graduate of Marquette University. She’s taught language arts and creative writing, worked for a publisher, an airline, an opera company. Like Faulkner’s Dilsey, she’s seen the best and the worst, the first and the last. Through it all, and to understand it somewhat, she writes. Too Quiet in Brooklyn, the first book in the Fina Fitzgibbons Brooklyn mystery series, published December 2013. The second book in the series, Missing Brandy, about a missing teen, published September 2014, and Whiskey’s Gone, about the abduction of a single mom, completes a trilogy. The working title of the fourth is Dead in Brooklyn.
Author Links:

Website: http://susanrussoanderson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Russo-Anderson/349374975075796
Twitter @SusanRussoAnder

Purchase Link

Amazon