Book Review: Cheat the Devil

Reviewed By: Webspinner - RAM

Cheat the Devil     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Jane Rubino
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Classic
Series: Cat Austen # 3
Write Way, 1998, $23.95, 352 pp.

Cat Austen has recovered from the wounds suffered in Death of a DJ, recovered from the shock suffered in Fruitcake about to embark on what seems to her more and more like an illicit weekend with the man in her life, Lt. Victor Cardenas. Her children and her family do not want her to go. She REALLY wants a way out. What she hadn't counted on was the murder of one of her brother's parishioners at St. Agnes.

Victor is dutifully called to investigate, postponing their get-a-way, and because it involves Dominic and St. Agnes, Cat is once more right in the middle of the investigation. Within a few days, Cat figures out that a serial killer is loose in the Atlantic City area.

I've loved every Cat Austen book, and this one is no exception. From her children to her siblings and her mother, Cat is a delight, and I relish every word of Jane Rubino's stories. The hilarious by-play between Cat and her brothers, Cat and Victor, Victor and her brothers, and the children with them all ring true in a way that not many authors manage to pull together. I go from laughter to tears and back again. Pick up anything by Ms. Rubino that you can find!

Webspinner - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Webspinner - RAM