Book Review: Eight of Swords

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

Eight of Swords     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
David Skibbins
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Supernatural   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Warren Ritter # 1
St. Martin’s Press, 2005, 261 pps.

Eight of Swords introduces Warren Ritter, tarot reader, a very unusual and interesting character. Warren reads tarot cards on the street in Berkley but has had many previous occupations.

Warren has pretty much been on the run for the last thirty years. He has created several identities for himself and when he feels threatened he latches on to a new identity and away he goes. He suffers from bipolar disorder and frequently skips his meds, which is not the most intelligent thing to do.

Heather Wellington, a teenager on out shopping, stops for a reading, and Walter covers up the fact that her cards show that her future appears menacing. He gives her the Eight of Swords card and pastes a label on the card with his phone number and email address. Walter’s habit of passing out cards with his phone number on the card will soon prove to be dangerous.

Before he knows it Walter is in deep trouble. His sister who thought he was deceased spots him on the street. He is forced to face his past. He is drawn into the investigation of first a kidnapping and then a murder.

Walter enlists some of his quirky friends to help him out since he feels he must uncover the whereabouts of the kidnapping victim and discover what really happened and why before he finds himself in jail.

I enjoyed Eight of Swords and look forward to reading High Priestess. Be sure and check out David Skibbins website for a free tarot reading and a description of the characters in Eight of Swords.

Pat Reid - RAM

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