Book Review: Legally Dead

Reviewed By: Lynn Harnett

Legally Dead     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Edna Buchanan
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Hard Boiled   Thriller
Series: Michael Venturi # 1
Simon & Schuster, Aug. 2008

Miami writer Buchanan’s new series takes so long to reach the grabbing point the readers will be getting restless. This one sure was. I had to check the jacket copy to make sure there really was a crisis coming.

And Buchanan does tie things together in the end. Sort of. The beginning is pretty exciting too. Nice guy, tough guy Michael Venturi, former special ops and then a marshal in the US witness protection program, grows thoroughly disillusioned with his job when he discovers his latest mobster/informant/pedophile client is up to his old tricks and two little girls in a quiet New Hampshire town are missing. And his bosses don’t want to hear about it (This seemed far-fetched. I hope.).

So Venturi goes to New Hampshire and takes care of business. All very satisfying. Then Venturi quits his job and moves to Miami where he and an old buddy set up a business helping a series of deserving people start a new life by faking their deaths. This is where the story begins to bog down, client after client. But eventually Buchanan gets to the point – a real killer targeting Venturi’s clients – and the action revs up to Special Forces strength.

Author of the Britt Montero series, former crime reporter Buchanan’s gutsy characters and steamy Miami settings have made many of her 17 books bestsellers. If fans can hold on until the story jells, they may find themselves well entertained.

Lynn Harnett

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Lynn Harnett

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.