Monday, May 15, 2023

"Liquid Shades of Blue", by James Polkinghorn



This novel which I received from Oceanview Publishing is hard to give it a genre. It can be a psychological thriller or a legal thriller without court scenes or legal wrangling, it can also be a mystery...hum, who knows. But whatever names you may give it one thing for sure you will enjoy every minutes trying to figure out what Jack Girard, the protagonist, is up to. My attention was held so captivate in his searches for the truth behind his brother, and his mother suicides that I didn’t see the time past.


It all started when Jack Girard a hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner groggily wakes up one morning and is greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill ringing telephone. He learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide. The death brings back memories from his past- of his brother suicide back in college years. He heads to the family home in Miami where his father suggests his mother’s death may be a murder. Acting on impulse Jack spins an exciting search for the truth...

The tale focuses on Jack and his father and tells us an intense mystery involving the family secrets. It kept me captive from the start, not wanting to put the novel down for a second. It definitely kept me on my toes. I really like how the Girard dysfunctional family is depicted with all their struggles and addictions. Mr. Polkinghorn gives this journey into the past, present and future a twist of its own. It is said without fluff or unnecessary words: right to the point. This is a fast read that is well said, paced and constructed.

“Liquid Shade of Blue” is a great first mystery novel. I will be looking forward to more from James Polkinghorn.

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