Book Review: Competition Can Be Murder

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Competition Can Be Murder     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Connie Shelton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Woman Main Character
Series: Charlie Parker # 8

An American husband-and-wife helicopter pilot team, Charlie Parker and Drake Langston take on a temporary contract in Scotland, flying people and equipment to and from the North Sea oil rigs. Charlie, who has a reputation as an amateur sleuth, soon gets involved (rather unwillingly) in a couple of mysteries. The local landowners, from whom the Americans are renting their cottage, are losing lambs. Then, shockingly, their teenaged grandson disappears under suspicious circumstances. Moreover, all is not well on the political scene. Changes in wool prices and transportation costs for the oil rig supply boats are causing problems, and some of the affected people are becoming violent and threatening.

The intertwined plots are carefully worked out, and the story is fast-paced. The solutions became obvious to me rather earlier in the book than I would have liked, and the threat in the oil rig supply system plot line was very one dimensional. Nevertheless, this is a nice light read, a good cozy with some gripping action sequences.

One minor point - the cover describes the Dunbars (the landlords) as appearing to be 'down-to-earth ranching folk', and although they are indeed portrayed as 'down-to-earth' in the book, 'ranching' is a singularly inappropriate term to describe a wealthy Scottish landowning family which, as part of their holdings, raise sheep.

Cheryl - RAM

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