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BALLOONS CAN BE MURDER
by Connie Shelton
Intrigue Press, November 2005
268 pages
$24.00
ISBN: 189076860X


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Rachael Fairfield plans on setting the world altitude record in a hot air balloon. She plans on making this attempt during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Unfortunately, she has been receiving threats to her safety if she follows through with this attempt. But Rachael is not one to let others stand in her way. She will make this attempt and hires RJP Investigations to protect her.

Rachael believes that her father William is writing these threatening letters. He has just recently been pardoned from jail and she fears that he is seeking revenge. RJP Investigations is a small company and cannot protect her all the time. As Rachael believes her father is behind the attempts, they decide to focus on trailing him. If he is not around Rachael then she should be safe.

PIs Charlie Parker and her brother Ron are not sure that it is a simple as that. Even though they investigate William, they are looking for other potential enemies. As the threats intensify, Charlie must find the stalker before Rachael's life is ended.

BALLOONS CAN BE MURDER is a mixture of genres. It is similar to a standard PI novel but it also has cozy elements. While many of Charlie's opinions and actions might make a cozy fan flinch, she is not hard-boiled enough to fit in a PI novel. While Charlie does have an opinion about what she wants in life, she is realistic enough to realize that it is not always possible. In addition, while she has a lot of the knowledge that a PI should have, she still finds herself in dangerous situations reminiscent of an amateur detective.

Personally I found Charlie somewhat aggravating as a character but I cannot pinpoint a single reason. She is somewhat wishy-washy and unreasonable at times. In addition, she flip-flops between total self-absorption and complete empathy with others. It is almost as though the author is not sure what type of person Charlie is supposed to be. She would be a much stronger character if her behavior were more consistent. While Charlie's circumstances in the book explain some of her behavior issues, I do not believe that it is much of an excuse or justifies her inconsistencies.

BALLOONS CAN BE MURDER is the eighth mystery to feature Charlie Parker.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, October 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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