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A Dead Red #1
A Dead Red Cadillac
Twice divorced NY model, Lalla Bains, now runs her dad’s Crop-Dusting business in Modesto, California where she’s hoping to dodge the inevitable fortieth birthday party. But when her trophy red Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask why a widowed piano teacher, who couldn’t possibly see beyond the hood ornament, was found strapped in the driver’s seat. Reeling from an interrogation with local homicide, Lalla is determined to extricate herself as a suspect in this strange murder case. Unfortunately, drug running pilots, a cross-dressing convict, a crazy Chihuahua, and the dead woman’s hunky nephew throw enough road blocks to keep Lalla neck deep in an investigation that links her family to a twenty-year old murder only she can solve.
280 pages, ebook
Published March 3, 2011
884 people are currently reading
2041 people want to read
About the author
R.P. Dahlke
16 books683 followersI write the Dead Red Mystery series,
and a romantic sailing mystery trilogy starting with A Dangerous Harbor and now Hurricane Hole. I LOVE to hear from readers! e-mail me: rp@rpdahlke.com
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http://rpdahlke.com
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and a romantic sailing mystery trilogy starting with A Dangerous Harbor and now Hurricane Hole. I LOVE to hear from readers! e-mail me: rp@rpdahlke.com
Join my private monthly newsletter and get FREE stuff!
http://rpdahlke.com
or e-mail me: rp@rpdahlke.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
July 6, 2020
I really enjoyed reading A DEAD RED CADILLAC by RP Dahlke. This is a fun read with a female pilot going head to toe with a murderer! I believe most peoples will really enjoy this good read.
December 27, 2015
A very very slow start. A plot with twists and turns, but more repetition than I like.
March 23, 2012
Lordy, lordy, Lalla Bains is turning forty. What a character for a series! Lalla is a former New York high-fashion model, now crop dusting pilot, and on her way to being a serial divorcee because her choice in men stinks, resulting in two bad marriages. And did I mention she's turning forty? Just the thought has her on the verge of depression. If that description sounds far-fetched, R.P. Dahlke makes it work in the best possible way. We meet Lalla with a cast on her leg after a plane crash. She's hobbling and a little cranky, but not as cranky as she gets when she finds her beloved classic red Cadillac missing from its shed. The steam rises when the car is found nose down in the mud of a lake--with a dead woman inside. Lalla is off and running, well limping, to prove she's not the killer and to find out who committed the dastardly deed. There are twists, turns, and surprises galore before the killer is unmasked. Ms. Dahlke creates an interesting cast of characters I hope are in subsequent books, and a plot that will satisfy mystery lovers everywhere. Quirky, humorous, and fun. Looking forward to reading A Dead Red Heart. Highly recommended.
Read
March 15, 2016Okay a side story if you will. I was 16 and wanted to drive a Queen in the Homecoming parade. My Aunt was the proud owner of a brand new 1969 Cadillac convertible in fire engine red! Oh it took a lot of whine and plead to get the keys. So I'm behind the wheel a beautiful gal sitting on the top cover in back smiling and waving at the crowd. I started pushing on the steering wheel horn, but something horrible happened the chrome ring broke off in my hand. No more honking from the big red beast! I saw my life pass in front of me a as I sat in the den of my aunt's home. She said she would forgive me as long as I spent my own money to replace the horn ring. Yah known in 1969 a caddy ring replacement cost $97.00, just showboating have changed.
Now about dead red, it's a funny and exciting murder crime. With Lalla as a private snoop who gets involved due to winning the Caddy. You have half a dozen suspects along the way including Lalla. A light and fun filled mystery, only takes a few hours to read.
Now about dead red, it's a funny and exciting murder crime. With Lalla as a private snoop who gets involved due to winning the Caddy. You have half a dozen suspects along the way including Lalla. A light and fun filled mystery, only takes a few hours to read.
November 19, 2018
Committed the two worst sins imaginable for a thriller. One the characters not developed anywhere serious enough to care about. And two, plot was dull dull dull dull......Really struggled to get through this mess. Should have tossed it back into the never finished pile. Skip this one. I'll be very generous giving this one two stars out of a possible five stars. I met this author at this year's Tucson Festival of Books, and she sold me the book for half price. I promised to read. Leave this dead red Cadillac stuck in the lake forever.
January 14, 2013
What I liked most about this mystery was the main character, Lalla Bains. An ex-model who’s returned home to help run her father’s crop-dusting business, Lalla proves to be one tough lady when she takes on the big boys to solve a local murder. This story presents a fast-moving plot, intriguing twists and a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend A DEAD RED CADILLAC. It’s a super start to what’s sure to be one of my favorite mystery series.
Want to read
February 14, 2015Free on Amazon today!
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Cadillac...
US - http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Red-Cadill...
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Cadillac...
US - http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Red-Cadill...
July 4, 2020
Meh
This was a slow read with poor character development. I will admit cozy mysteries are not my normal read so others might enjoy the book.
This was a slow read with poor character development. I will admit cozy mysteries are not my normal read so others might enjoy the book.
July 10, 2011
A Dead Red Cadillac – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘I hung up, and with hands that palsied, I grabbed the nearest set of keys and drove our old farm truck into Modesto. I ignored the familiar rattling of the loose drive shaft, the torn vinyl headliner, the missing door handle, and the growing spider web of broken windshield on the passenger side. The drive was a no-brainer, one where I can easily divide my attention between the road and work schedules before hitting the outskirts of the nearest mall. But, not today. I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb’s words. Of all the answers to the whereabouts of my car, not in a million years would I have guessed that my Caddy would be found tail fins sticking out of the shallow end of Turlock Lake. And behind the wheel, neatly buckled into her safety belt, was none other than the blue ribbon winner in this year’s county fair’s jam making contest, Patience McBride.’
Lalla Bains has had a few mishaps in the last few days. Her Ag-CAT plowed into a row of tomatoes while making an emergency landing, breaking her leg. Her dad, who owns the plane and the crop dusting company that she was flying for, would never believe it wasn’t pilot carelessness that caused her to make a crash landing. And now her best friend Caleb, who is also the sheriff, has just informed her that he has found her bright red Caddy in the lake with a dead body in the driver’s seat. So she can’t fly and now she can’t even drive her luxury car around town.
Patience McBride was a widow who kept to herself and never bothered anyone, so why would anyone kill her? Well, since it was Lalla’s car she was in and she herself has become a suspect, Lalla has decided to find out. Her first suspect becoming Patience’s nephew who appears in town around the same time as her murder. He seems to be quite a smooth talking con artist, especially with the women, Lalla included. Making him less and less of a suspect in her eyes but not in Caleb’s. The confusion really starts when Eddy steps into the picture. After taking a couple of shots at Lalla, in her own home, she is able to knock him out with a book end only to have her own father Noah turn him lose.
Another roller coaster ride of suspects and murders. Author R P Dahlke has given us the works with A Dead Red Cadillac – murder, mystery, suspense and humor. About half way through the book I was given 1 clue that lead me to the person I felt was the killer. The more I read, the more I doubted my conclusion. It wasn’t until the end the last few pages that I was able to determine if I was right or wrong.
Amazon page for A DEAD RED CADILLAC, available as Kindle @$2.99 and as a trade paperback @$12.95 http://tinyurl.com/675v9bc
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘I hung up, and with hands that palsied, I grabbed the nearest set of keys and drove our old farm truck into Modesto. I ignored the familiar rattling of the loose drive shaft, the torn vinyl headliner, the missing door handle, and the growing spider web of broken windshield on the passenger side. The drive was a no-brainer, one where I can easily divide my attention between the road and work schedules before hitting the outskirts of the nearest mall. But, not today. I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb’s words. Of all the answers to the whereabouts of my car, not in a million years would I have guessed that my Caddy would be found tail fins sticking out of the shallow end of Turlock Lake. And behind the wheel, neatly buckled into her safety belt, was none other than the blue ribbon winner in this year’s county fair’s jam making contest, Patience McBride.’
Lalla Bains has had a few mishaps in the last few days. Her Ag-CAT plowed into a row of tomatoes while making an emergency landing, breaking her leg. Her dad, who owns the plane and the crop dusting company that she was flying for, would never believe it wasn’t pilot carelessness that caused her to make a crash landing. And now her best friend Caleb, who is also the sheriff, has just informed her that he has found her bright red Caddy in the lake with a dead body in the driver’s seat. So she can’t fly and now she can’t even drive her luxury car around town.
Patience McBride was a widow who kept to herself and never bothered anyone, so why would anyone kill her? Well, since it was Lalla’s car she was in and she herself has become a suspect, Lalla has decided to find out. Her first suspect becoming Patience’s nephew who appears in town around the same time as her murder. He seems to be quite a smooth talking con artist, especially with the women, Lalla included. Making him less and less of a suspect in her eyes but not in Caleb’s. The confusion really starts when Eddy steps into the picture. After taking a couple of shots at Lalla, in her own home, she is able to knock him out with a book end only to have her own father Noah turn him lose.
Another roller coaster ride of suspects and murders. Author R P Dahlke has given us the works with A Dead Red Cadillac – murder, mystery, suspense and humor. About half way through the book I was given 1 clue that lead me to the person I felt was the killer. The more I read, the more I doubted my conclusion. It wasn’t until the end the last few pages that I was able to determine if I was right or wrong.
Amazon page for A DEAD RED CADILLAC, available as Kindle @$2.99 and as a trade paperback @$12.95 http://tinyurl.com/675v9bc
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat
November 6, 2011
Lalla Bains is not a happy gal.
She once excelled in the brief glory, glitz, and glamour of New York’s fashion runways, but now she’s a slave to a dusty runway near Modesto California where she runs the family crop dusting business.
And not only has she just planted her Ag-CAT’s nose in a tomato field—earning herself a leg cast in the process—she’s facing a fate far more depressing than a little plane crash: she’s turning f-f-forty.
Living back at home with her crusty old father is hardly where Lalla envisioned herself at this phase in her life, but her father needs her, and with two failed marriages in her wake and her modeling career washed up, what’s a woman to do besides spray deadly chemicals?
“Lordy, lordy, look who’s forty,” the local newspaper caption read, right under a picture of Lalla from her third grade class: pigtails, tooth gap and all. Could things get worse?
Oh, yeah.
Her precious red El Dorado, all she had left from her last ex-hubby, goes for a swim, and it is not empty.
A Dead Red Cadillac has elements of a cozy (small town mystery with lots of locals involved), amateur sleuth, and a little romance rolled into an entertaining read.
She once excelled in the brief glory, glitz, and glamour of New York’s fashion runways, but now she’s a slave to a dusty runway near Modesto California where she runs the family crop dusting business.
And not only has she just planted her Ag-CAT’s nose in a tomato field—earning herself a leg cast in the process—she’s facing a fate far more depressing than a little plane crash: she’s turning f-f-forty.
Living back at home with her crusty old father is hardly where Lalla envisioned herself at this phase in her life, but her father needs her, and with two failed marriages in her wake and her modeling career washed up, what’s a woman to do besides spray deadly chemicals?
“Lordy, lordy, look who’s forty,” the local newspaper caption read, right under a picture of Lalla from her third grade class: pigtails, tooth gap and all. Could things get worse?
Oh, yeah.
Her precious red El Dorado, all she had left from her last ex-hubby, goes for a swim, and it is not empty.
A Dead Red Cadillac has elements of a cozy (small town mystery with lots of locals involved), amateur sleuth, and a little romance rolled into an entertaining read.
August 23, 2011
RP Dahlke's A Dead Red Cadillac is a mystery that will make you sit on the edge of your seat in suspense, laugh out loud at the splashes of humor, and maybe even shed a tear. It took a little bit to get into the story, but once there - which didn't take long, I was hooked. We are introduced to Lalla and grow to really like her. I especially enjoyed the relationship elements in this book. The relationship between a daughter and her father; a daughter and her mother; and a sister and her brother. I also liked the relationships between friends; and even a long awaited romance starting to bloom. A Dead Red Cadillac has a bit of everything you could ask for in a mystery. It keeps you guessing and turning the page to find out what happens next. It is a read that you can sink into and when finished you close the book and eagerly reach for the next in the series - A Dead Red Heart. Barnes and Noble e-book edition.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this e-book free from the author and chose it for review.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this e-book free from the author and chose it for review.
October 30, 2011
Had a tough time starting this. Didn't care for the main character and I wondered if this was even worth my time.
I have a 100 page rule...force myself to read 100 pages and if it doesn't pick up, then in good conscience I don't have to finish. In this case, it did pick up and actually turned out to be a pretty good story. I still didn't care for the main characters...they just weren't likable, but I figure that's part of the story. A good who done it
I have a 100 page rule...force myself to read 100 pages and if it doesn't pick up, then in good conscience I don't have to finish. In this case, it did pick up and actually turned out to be a pretty good story. I still didn't care for the main characters...they just weren't likable, but I figure that's part of the story. A good who done it
December 7, 2014
It's murder mystery, but you'll be smiling.
After reading A Dead Read Oleander, had to read this one and it was good too. I'll be reading more of her books. But long before the cell phones on land lines you did see who was calling, how come he didn't know it was Lalla? And in so many books I read people comes home without washing their hands sits down to eat.
After reading A Dead Read Oleander, had to read this one and it was good too. I'll be reading more of her books. But long before the cell phones on land lines you did see who was calling, how come he didn't know it was Lalla? And in so many books I read people comes home without washing their hands sits down to eat.
Read
June 30, 2011Lots of twists and turns in this book and plenty of trouble for Lalla Bains to dive into--which she gleefully does. It's a fast read and I was guessing who-dun-it until the end.
(As always, if I have a relationship with the author, even an e-relationship, I steer clear of awarding stars.)
(As always, if I have a relationship with the author, even an e-relationship, I steer clear of awarding stars.)
August 10, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. When Lalla Baines' vintage red Cadillac is found nose down in the lake with a dead body inside, she starts nosing into the investigation to clear her name.
Caleb Stone, sheriff of Modesto, CA wants Lalla to keep out of the investigation, especially when it seems someone has painted a bullseye on her back.
Many of the regular cozy mystery tropes are found, nosy woman trying to clear their name only to get in trouble and help the investigation by accident. Body image issues (found in 40-year-old Lalla being unable to cope with her age). Romance between wanna-be heroine and hero.
Overall, a fun read with a few new twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Content Warning: There are a few unfavorable comments towards a cross-dresser in this book.
Caleb Stone, sheriff of Modesto, CA wants Lalla to keep out of the investigation, especially when it seems someone has painted a bullseye on her back.
Many of the regular cozy mystery tropes are found, nosy woman trying to clear their name only to get in trouble and help the investigation by accident. Body image issues (found in 40-year-old Lalla being unable to cope with her age). Romance between wanna-be heroine and hero.
Overall, a fun read with a few new twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Content Warning: There are a few unfavorable comments towards a cross-dresser in this book.
May 20, 2018
A rollicking good read.
Fast paced with plenty of humor and insouciance. A main character who is forty rather than twenty with sass and wit.
Fast paced with plenty of humor and insouciance. A main character who is forty rather than twenty with sass and wit.
September 9, 2022
Corruption and Crop-dusting
I think it’s nice to have a cozy mystery series where the female lead isn’t a chef, librarian, etc. I liked Lalla and I can’t wait to read more.
I think it’s nice to have a cozy mystery series where the female lead isn’t a chef, librarian, etc. I liked Lalla and I can’t wait to read more.
September 19, 2011
Lalla is in for a surprise when her vintage caddy is not in the barn where she usually keeps it. She's quick to think it's her conniving ex who took it and off on one of his escapades. However, she's in for more of a surprise when she discovers the truth.
I thought the characters were okay. I liked Lalla however I really liked Roxanne. I liked the way she was there for Lalla and gave her perspective. I also liked that she didn't spread gossip. "That's a leap you don't want to take yet." - Good advice.
Lalla has a fun personality and quick wit, even under pressure. She's the butt of many jokes among the regulars at Roxanne's Truck Café. Laugh along with the others as she makes herself the butt of the joke as she asks Caleb for something to eat when she visits his office. And it's only later when he tells her what she said. Imagine her embarrassment!
As I was reading this book at the same time I was trying to evaluate software, I wasn't really giving it enough attention and found myself rereading parts. To be fair, I went back and reread most of it.
It was okay. Am I glad to be done reading it? No, not really. There was some feel-good feeling left after reading it. What I didn't come away with is much knowledge of crop-dusting.
***SPOILER BELOW***
The entire town knows that Sheriff Caleb is crazy about Lalla and has been for years only she's too blind to see it. She merely thinks they're best friends. He gets jealous when Patience's nephew shows up and shows an interest in her.
The reader knows that there will be a jam-making event which both Patience and Lalla will be entered in. However, we find out neither that the incident took place or that Patience won the contest, until after the murder.
Not sure how certain things were deduced in events such as the credit card which Autumn had of Garth's and how he would have known she was in the area from that. It's not like he had friends in the area keeping tabs on her. (Ya, I can be analytical.)
I really appreciate the fact there was no sex in this. Especially no explicit sex. Well, except for the part with Ricky and Charlene in the truck. I had forgotten about that. (Good thing for the Kindle app for Mac!)
We don't find out in this book what happens with Brad.
I thought the characters were okay. I liked Lalla however I really liked Roxanne. I liked the way she was there for Lalla and gave her perspective. I also liked that she didn't spread gossip. "That's a leap you don't want to take yet." - Good advice.
Lalla has a fun personality and quick wit, even under pressure. She's the butt of many jokes among the regulars at Roxanne's Truck Café. Laugh along with the others as she makes herself the butt of the joke as she asks Caleb for something to eat when she visits his office. And it's only later when he tells her what she said. Imagine her embarrassment!
As I was reading this book at the same time I was trying to evaluate software, I wasn't really giving it enough attention and found myself rereading parts. To be fair, I went back and reread most of it.
It was okay. Am I glad to be done reading it? No, not really. There was some feel-good feeling left after reading it. What I didn't come away with is much knowledge of crop-dusting.
***SPOILER BELOW***
The entire town knows that Sheriff Caleb is crazy about Lalla and has been for years only she's too blind to see it. She merely thinks they're best friends. He gets jealous when Patience's nephew shows up and shows an interest in her.
The reader knows that there will be a jam-making event which both Patience and Lalla will be entered in. However, we find out neither that the incident took place or that Patience won the contest, until after the murder.
Not sure how certain things were deduced in events such as the credit card which Autumn had of Garth's and how he would have known she was in the area from that. It's not like he had friends in the area keeping tabs on her. (Ya, I can be analytical.)
I really appreciate the fact there was no sex in this. Especially no explicit sex. Well, except for the part with Ricky and Charlene in the truck. I had forgotten about that. (Good thing for the Kindle app for Mac!)
We don't find out in this book what happens with Brad.
March 5, 2012
Lalla Bains is a little too worried about the impending doom of her 40th birthday. With two failed marriages, a failed modelling career and some other failures to add up, Lalla considers herself a loser - an old loser, in fact. While Lalla thinks her age is the worst of her problems, her beloved red Cadillac is found in a lake with an almost blind old lady behind the wheel. She becomes a suspect in the murder case and decides she can solve the mystery and prove her and her father's innocence. Her snooping around exasperates her best friend, who happens to be the Sheriff.
I think the book starts a little slow, but it catches up fast. It's cleverly written and it makes you think you understand what's going on until the story catches up and you're completely outside the loop in the last twist. I like the main character a lot! Lalla Bains doesn't take herself too seriously and is definitely smart and funny, not the silly female character that annoys people so much we start hoping the killer actually gets her. If we forget her past taste in men, she knows how to use her brains: she connects the dots, doesn't stall, tries to defend herself and her loved ones, and knows how to choose her real friends. I like how she could just be daddy's girl and even how Caleb keeps trying to protect her, but she just has to show them she can take care of herself and that things can turn out right - even if she's in charge. Oh, and she has a license to fly! How cool is that?!
It's a nice debut from R.P. Dahlke and I look forward to read the second book in the series, A DEAD RED HEART.
I think the book starts a little slow, but it catches up fast. It's cleverly written and it makes you think you understand what's going on until the story catches up and you're completely outside the loop in the last twist. I like the main character a lot! Lalla Bains doesn't take herself too seriously and is definitely smart and funny, not the silly female character that annoys people so much we start hoping the killer actually gets her. If we forget her past taste in men, she knows how to use her brains: she connects the dots, doesn't stall, tries to defend herself and her loved ones, and knows how to choose her real friends. I like how she could just be daddy's girl and even how Caleb keeps trying to protect her, but she just has to show them she can take care of herself and that things can turn out right - even if she's in charge. Oh, and she has a license to fly! How cool is that?!
It's a nice debut from R.P. Dahlke and I look forward to read the second book in the series, A DEAD RED HEART.
September 28, 2011
RP Dalhke's novel featuring female agricultural (crop dusting) pilot, Lalla Bain, whose gorgeous vintage red Cadillac is found in a lake, complete with dead body inside, is as rollicking and sharp a murder mystery as any on the market. Regarded as a convenient suspect by the homicide detective investigating the case, Gayle Rodney, Lalla feels that she has to save herself from the clutches of the law, rather than allow her long time friend, local sheriff Caleb Stone, to extricate her from the mess. Added to much-married Lalla's problems are a rival crop-dusting company, her father and a suspected druggie employee and not the least - a foot and shoulder injured in an aircraft incident.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It has an energy and good-natured plot which sit well with reading in one sitting and the heroine, Lalla Bains comes across as rather like the reader's older sister or best friend. RP Dahlke writes easily, the imagery is minimal but places the reader in the right place for getting the essence of the story. I felt as though I were standing beside the characters listening to their very natural dialogue. The characters are likeable and interesting.
All in all, a very good read and highly recommended!
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It has an energy and good-natured plot which sit well with reading in one sitting and the heroine, Lalla Bains comes across as rather like the reader's older sister or best friend. RP Dahlke writes easily, the imagery is minimal but places the reader in the right place for getting the essence of the story. I felt as though I were standing beside the characters listening to their very natural dialogue. The characters are likeable and interesting.
All in all, a very good read and highly recommended!
October 24, 2013
R.P. Dahlke was very good about giving you enough suspects so "who done it" wasn't obvious while also giving you enough clues so that you could work on figuring it out for yourself. Mysteries need to keep you in the story, not try to confuse you with unrelated characters, and not totally give you a surprise guilty person at the end whose character was never developed within the course of the story. R.P. Dahlke did a great job doing this.
The main character Lalla is a small town girl but I like that she has had the big town, NYC experience too. It gives her a well rounded perspective on life.
I am looking forward to see what trouble she gets into in the next book and what will become of her relationship with Caleb.
Dead Red Cadillac was an enjoyable and easy to read mystery.
The main character Lalla is a small town girl but I like that she has had the big town, NYC experience too. It gives her a well rounded perspective on life.
I am looking forward to see what trouble she gets into in the next book and what will become of her relationship with Caleb.
Dead Red Cadillac was an enjoyable and easy to read mystery.
May 6, 2011
I value books where I learn something, and this fast-moving amateur sleuth mystery engaged me. Here's a woman pilot who also runs a crop dusting business in California's Central Valley. I blog about the politics of the Central Valley at marpreston.com so the story grabbed me.
Both the good guy romantic interest and the bad guy romantic interest are well-drawn. Gradually the bad guy, who looks so good in the beginning, morphs and we hope as readers she's going to stay away from him.Several other minor characters support the detectives investigation into a secret of the past that she discovers has involved her own family.
Both the good guy romantic interest and the bad guy romantic interest are well-drawn. Gradually the bad guy, who looks so good in the beginning, morphs and we hope as readers she's going to stay away from him.Several other minor characters support the detectives investigation into a secret of the past that she discovers has involved her own family.
March 5, 2012
How could you not love a book in which one of the main characters was a nicely tuned, prettily painted red 1958 Cadillac. Protagonist Lalla Bains is a retired model with enough failed marriages behind her that she says drily "they should revoke my license." She's come back home to live with her dad and help with his crop dusting business. One of the first scenes is of her crashing her plane into a neighbor's pasture...from there on in we're hustled through a murder investigation muddled by cross-dressing villains, enough red herrings to feed an army, a hunky bad/good guy and a yappy Chihuahua before the final (surprise) ending. I give it three thumbs up. I liked it.
September 5, 2014
Lalla Baines is a woman after my own heart! This was a quick, fun book to read with a lead character who takes no guff and rolls with life's challenges. Like crashing her crop duster, turning 40 and finding her beloved Cadillac upended in a local watering hole. And did I mention there's a dead body in it? Great start to a series set in a part of California that doesn't get a whole lot of attention--small town, rural community where agriculture, more like agribusiness, is a way of life.
I bought the box set at a bargain price and am ready to pick up the next book in the series...so more from me later!
I bought the box set at a bargain price and am ready to pick up the next book in the series...so more from me later!
December 29, 2011
A nice change of pace...well maybe it's just that you very seldom experience a protagonist who is a woman crop duster.
Lalla Baines is a strong, smart and opinionated who now helps her Dad run the family crop dusting business. While hiding her fears and emotions she is also determined to clear her reputation and her family's name, when her beloved classic Cadillac embroils them in a twisted murder.
Lalla, with the help of R.P. Dahlke lead us through her personal saga and perilous exploits with humor and courage and at a winged clip.
Lalla Baines is a strong, smart and opinionated who now helps her Dad run the family crop dusting business. While hiding her fears and emotions she is also determined to clear her reputation and her family's name, when her beloved classic Cadillac embroils them in a twisted murder.
Lalla, with the help of R.P. Dahlke lead us through her personal saga and perilous exploits with humor and courage and at a winged clip.
January 16, 2012
Lalla Bains is rapidly becoming one of my favorite protags. She's gutsy, impetuous, brave, stubborn, and seems so much like a long-time friend that it's sometimes hard to remember that she is a fictional character. When a body is found in her red Cadillac partially submerged in a lake pointing the finger at Lalla she jumps right into solving the mystery with both feet and occasionally little thought. It's very entertaining to watch Lalla's friends cope with her actions and the next book can't be read soon enough.
October 14, 2012
Lalla's red Cadillac has been stolen. She suspects her ex-husband because he wasn't too happy she got it in the divorce decree. The car is located in a pond with a dead woman sitting behind the wheel. The very woman who beat Lalla out of first prize for the best jam at the county fair.
A Dead Red Cadillac is a fun, lighthearted mystery with lots of twists and turns. One of these books that I didn't want to put down until I finished it. A real page turner that kept me guessing until the end. Loved it!
A Dead Red Cadillac is a fun, lighthearted mystery with lots of twists and turns. One of these books that I didn't want to put down until I finished it. A real page turner that kept me guessing until the end. Loved it!
February 24, 2015
This was a fun easy read. Lalla is our main character. She's been married twice to the typical bad boys she has a habit of falling for. She was a model in New York but now has returned home to join the family business of crop dusting. And, did I mention she's about to turn 40? The fun begins when her prize possession, a red cadillac she got in a divorce settlement from her second husband is found in the lake with a dead woman behind the wheel. I fell in love with the characters and look forward to reading more about them.
September 1, 2012
DEAD RED CADILLAC is penned by a master mystery writer with in the moment action from compelling characters. R.P. Dahlke created lovable optimistic Lala, and her name fits her. It's okay Lala has high hopes, some of which could be in LaLa Land. Dahlke sifts in just a hint of back story to let the reader know what's going on, and a whole lot is while she rushes, leg in a cast, to solve a murder. I look forward to being entertained by other books in R.P. Dahlke's top-notch series.
March 2, 2017
First time i read a book in this series. I liked that the main character is a crop dusting flyer -something different. I also liked the so etimes contentious relationship between her and her father. I found the relationship between her and the sheriff to be predictable romance. The mystery itself was not predictable. A pleasurable read.
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