Book Review: A Tax Deductable Death

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Tax Deductable Death     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Malinda Terreri
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Berkley, Sep 2001, $5.99, 274 pp.

Arthur Riley informs financial consultant Maggie Connor that she is trouble and heading towards being fired form her job at Hamilton Securities. Maggie has plenty to worry about as she maxed her credit cards to the limit so her parents could afford a retirement home on Florida. Meanwhile, Arthur hates Maggie almost as much as he loathes his estranged father-in-law multimillionaire Cleon Cummings. Arthur plans to kill both of them and inherit Cleon’s money.

IRS Agent Tim Gallen completes a two-year investigation into Cleon’s finances that will result in an indictment on income tax evasion charges. Cleon tries to bribe Tim, who reports it to the authorities, but no one returns his call. However, Cleon dies that night in what appears a homicide. This leaves Maggie and Tim in trouble with the law and their employers.

A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DEATH is an amusing investigative tale with several twists and turns that will surprise the reader. Though too much of Tim’s difficulties depend on coincidences, the story line is fun to follow. Maggie struggles with a money problem and someone trying to kill her, but retains her eccentricity throughout the plot. On the other hand, Tim "by the books" is not sure what happened to his perfect world, but it crashed rather quickly. Cleon and the odious Arthur round out the key players with their own brand of peculiar behavior. In her debut novel, Malinda Terreri provides a wonderful mystery due to an outlandish yet realistic group of players.

Harriet Klausner

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