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SCAM AND EGGS
by Janet Dawson
Five Star, December 2003
211 pages
$25.95
ISBN: 0786248386


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Okay, so I don't know why there aren't more Jeri Howard books; there should be. Dawson's private eye was a very welcome member of the class of female private detectives we all happily discovered and read about over the past what, 15 years? She was based in the San Francisco bay area, was original, unique and not to be confused with Sharon McCone or Catherine Sayler - two other strong members of that group.

At least here we get a collection of short stories featuring Jeri. Some go back a number of years, but no matter when they were written, they're fresh. I think my favorite is the title story; after reading the collection I found that one stayed in my head the most: not because it was about a Faberge egg (and a gorgeous gold/enamel creation decorates the cover of this anthology) but because we get to spend some time with Errol Seville.

One thing I've liked about Dawson's character is that she actually had a mentor, one she talks about in the books. Seville had to retire, but Jeri learned from him and he figures in her thinking. So here, we encounter Errol and his wife Minna, enjoying their retirement in Carmel. And Errol spots a suspicious character -- a former gallery owner who seemed to always have thefts of small objects. Seville could never prove it was an inside job, that the man was scamming the insurance company, but here he is, opening a new gallery in trendy Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Other stories include the very good Little Red Corvette, a fabulous car sitting unclaimed, which leads Howard on an investigation; Voice Mail a story told completely in messages with a kicker of an ending and a visit back to the Gold Rush city of Cibola, California.

Not every writer can adjust to the requirements of the mystery short story; almost everyone who's done it, or who's tried, says it's very difficult to tell your story, since you don't have the luxury of time and words. I didn't find a bad story in this collection; I hope Dawson continues to write short stories, as she's very good at it. And that we get to see Jeri Howard again.

Reviewed by Andi Shechter, December 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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