Book Review: The Perennial Killer

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Perennial Killer     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Ann Ripley
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Woman Main Character   Cozy
Series: Louise Eldridge # 5
Bantam, May 2000, $5.99, 352 pp.

Muggy and moist Washington DC is home to Louise Eldridge, hostess of the PBS show “Gardening with Nature”. Her director sends Louise to the Boulder area as part of a series of location shows on “The Open Spaces”. Louise finds the dry mountain climate of Colorado as quite a shock and she has a hard time adjusting. Though a TV personality, Louise has gained quite a national reputation for her work on homicide investigations. However, she hopes that her western stay remains trouble free.

Unfortunately on her first day in Boulder, Louise finds a dead body. Local rancher Jimmy Porter, whose spread was going to be used by Louise, has a bullet in his chest. The chauvinistic sheriff declares a poacher killed Jimmy. Almost everyone else thinks otherwise. Reluctantly, Louise is dragged into the investigation. She soon learns that almost everyone close to Jimmy had a motive to kill him and that the real culprit may soon have a reason to murder Louise.

Anyone who enjoys gardening will be happy for the insight provided throughout the novel. Those who have little interest in gardening can easily skip through those passages without losing the theme of the main story line. Although the plot requires a big leap of faith at certain points, amateur sleuth fans will enjoy THE PERENNIAL KILLER because of the likable heroine. Readers will sympathize with her problems even as they applaud her inner strength, which carries the tale. Ann Ripley elasticized the credibility of her subplots beyond the reach of Mr. Fantastic, but those readers who enjoy an entertaining gardening cozy will still feel a Rocky Mountain High after reading this novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner