Helpful Score: 2
Not a cozy mystery, Skibbins won the Malice Domestic Best First Mystery contest for this book. Yes, the main character reads Tarot cards but he is not the sterotypical aging hippie and crime solving is definitely handled differently from many other books of this genre. I will look forward to more but many readers will choose not to like the character due to his history.
Helpful Score: 2
It was okay, but I expected more from a Malice Domestic winner. Unique concept and central character, but not believable in some parts. Maybe I edit too much and can't suspend my disbelief as easily as I used to.
Helpful Score: 2
Warren Ritter is trying to live off the grid by making a living as a Tarot Card reader in Berkeley. When one of his clients turns up dead, Warren becomes the object of unwanted attention from law enforcement. Will he follow his conscience and find the killer, or will he continue running from his past?
Eight of Swords is the start of a promising mystery series. The mystery storyline is suspenseful, but it is the characters that will keep the reader turning the pages. Though deeply flawed, Warren Ritter is also smart and his struggles to atone for the wrongs in his past make him sympathetic. There are a number of interesting subplots surrounding Warren's past and current relationships that are left unresolved at the end of this book, making me eager to read the next.
Though the cover may imply otherwise, this is definitely not a cozy. Cozy readers may be offended by the occasional profanity, violence, and thoughts of premarital sex! For those who do not mind their mysteries rated PG-13, Eight of Swords is an excellent choice.
Eight of Swords is the start of a promising mystery series. The mystery storyline is suspenseful, but it is the characters that will keep the reader turning the pages. Though deeply flawed, Warren Ritter is also smart and his struggles to atone for the wrongs in his past make him sympathetic. There are a number of interesting subplots surrounding Warren's past and current relationships that are left unresolved at the end of this book, making me eager to read the next.
Though the cover may imply otherwise, this is definitely not a cozy. Cozy readers may be offended by the occasional profanity, violence, and thoughts of premarital sex! For those who do not mind their mysteries rated PG-13, Eight of Swords is an excellent choice.
Helpful Score: 1
An award winning debut novel. Unusual characters in an unusual setting (Berkeley).
Helpful Score: 1
Tarot reader Warren Ritter has given an ominous reading to a teenager, and later sees a TV news report that she has been kidnapped. Since he has given her his card, he is soon contacted by the police, and later appears to be their prime suspect not only for the kidnapping, but for the murder of the girl's mother.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a first book of a new author which won St Martin's press Best Mystery Award. I would read him again.
Helpful Score: 1
A little hard to follow in the beginning, but once the story progressed, it was hard to put down!
Helpful Score: 1
I like the heck out of this book. I've been interested in Tarot, and enjoyed how it was woven through the story line. It's well written. I also really like the main character, Warren Ritter. He's believable with lots of dimention to his life.
I'm pleased to see the author has written several more with the main character.
I'm pleased to see the author has written several more with the main character.
Way fun, faithful tarot descriptions, worth a read.
Easy reading but ultimately not satisfying. the central character wasn't very appealing, and acted like a jerk a lot of the time (he's 50-something and complimented himself for restraint in not having sex with an underage teenage girl; his interactions with police were pretty juvenile, too). Book was too long for the subject matter with a few too many side trips down memory lane. It gave a little detail about tarot cards, but so does Wikipedia. Not recommended.
