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Tennyson Hardwick #4
South by Southeast
The fourth installment in this award-winning mystery series draws actor-turned-super-sleuth Tennyson Hardwick into his most challenging case, compelling him to face the unthinkable: save his daughter or the woman he loves.
South by Southeast, a title inspired by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, finds Tennyson and his family in South Beach, Florida, where he is filming his role in a television detective series. Ten’s soon-to-be-adopted daughter, Chela, runs into old friend Maria from her earlier days as a prostitute in Los Angeles. The pair dives into the South Beach club scene, but Maria mysteriously goes missing.
When Maria’s body washes ashore, Chela and the authorities fear that her suspicious death is connected to a serial killer preying on young prostitutes. Tennyson believes he knows who the killer is, but the suspect escapes when the actor-detective tries to capture him.
When it’s believed the suspected killer may have committed suicide, things return to normal for Ten and his family. But the respite doesn’t last long, and Tennyson discovers someone is after him, his girlfriend, and Chela. Realizing it’s the killer who’s terrorizing him, Ten is presented with a lose-lose dilemma: save his daughter or the woman he loves.
In a pulse-pounding thriller that could be described as Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins meets Miami Vice, Tennyson Hardwick is back big time with his trademark sexiness, sizzle, and James Bond-like sophistication.
South by Southeast, a title inspired by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, finds Tennyson and his family in South Beach, Florida, where he is filming his role in a television detective series. Ten’s soon-to-be-adopted daughter, Chela, runs into old friend Maria from her earlier days as a prostitute in Los Angeles. The pair dives into the South Beach club scene, but Maria mysteriously goes missing.
When Maria’s body washes ashore, Chela and the authorities fear that her suspicious death is connected to a serial killer preying on young prostitutes. Tennyson believes he knows who the killer is, but the suspect escapes when the actor-detective tries to capture him.
When it’s believed the suspected killer may have committed suicide, things return to normal for Ten and his family. But the respite doesn’t last long, and Tennyson discovers someone is after him, his girlfriend, and Chela. Realizing it’s the killer who’s terrorizing him, Ten is presented with a lose-lose dilemma: save his daughter or the woman he loves.
In a pulse-pounding thriller that could be described as Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins meets Miami Vice, Tennyson Hardwick is back big time with his trademark sexiness, sizzle, and James Bond-like sophistication.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2012
10 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Blair Underwood
43 books109 followersBlair Underwood, a Golden Globe--nominated actor, has received several NAACP Image Awards. Steven Barnes is the author of science fiction novels, including The Legacy of Heorot, and has produced such television shows as The Twilight Zone and Stargate. Tananarive Due is the American Book Award-winning author of six novels, including The Black Rose, My Soul to Keep, The Between, The Living Blood, and The Good House.
Series:
* Tennyson Hardwick
Series:
* Tennyson Hardwick
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 28, 2015
Compelling, Emotional, Chilling & Intense! An Exciting Read! I Loved It!
October 22, 2012
One of my favorite things about this series is when it travels to different locales. Seeing Tennyson navigate and operate in unfamiliar surroundings, usually having no one to rely on but himself, makes each story richer and his character that much more complex.
Tennyson Hardwick is an actor and a reluctant private investigator who winds up solving cases mainly to protect the ones he loves. In this installment, Ten in on location in Miami with a part in a movie being directed by Hollywood's hottest director. He has brought his family along, his father Richard, Richard's girlfriend/nurse Marcela, and Ten's adpopted teenage daughter Chela, so they can have a much needed vacation while he works.
Visiting Ten on set one day, Chela runs into an old friend, Maria, who convinces her to come out with her to a club that night. When Maria's body later turns up washed up on shore, Chela convinces Ten to look into what happened to her. The resulting investigation leads us into surprising places with even more shocking results.
This is one of the few series that actually get better with each book.
Tennyson Hardwick is an actor and a reluctant private investigator who winds up solving cases mainly to protect the ones he loves. In this installment, Ten in on location in Miami with a part in a movie being directed by Hollywood's hottest director. He has brought his family along, his father Richard, Richard's girlfriend/nurse Marcela, and Ten's adpopted teenage daughter Chela, so they can have a much needed vacation while he works.
Visiting Ten on set one day, Chela runs into an old friend, Maria, who convinces her to come out with her to a club that night. When Maria's body later turns up washed up on shore, Chela convinces Ten to look into what happened to her. The resulting investigation leads us into surprising places with even more shocking results.
This is one of the few series that actually get better with each book.
June 30, 2013
I'm lovin' this series. This one is set in Miami and Los Angeles. Tennyson Hardwick is fearless and daring. This one has a surprising twist that will pull at your heartstrings. Who knows the madness of a man who seems to be perfectly harmless, even revered? Miami nightlife and the sex trade that highlights it is major part of the storyline. Suspense and fast paced; my kind of story.
August 13, 2015
It had slow sections throughout the book but if your a good storyteller you can keep us interested. When the third installment was so intense this one should have topped it. It was anticlimatic but you will still be drawn in by Tennyson.
November 3, 2012
This is the fourth installment in the Tennyson Hardwick, NAACP Award Winning Series. From the opening lines the reader knows this is not just another thrilling detective story. The writing is deeper, more introspective and literary. Tennyson Hardwick, despite his past and present careers, is not just another pretty face; not just another Hollywood hard body.
Tennyson Hardwick, for those new to the series, is a one time gigolo, body guard, accidental detective and now an aspiring actor hoping to get that one big break that will cast him in a serious role instead of character roles he has been offered for just that; his pretty face and hard body.
Tennyson is about to learn the age old lesson; “Be careful what you wish for. You may just get it.” When offered a lead part by Hollywood darling and heavy weight Academy Award nominated director/producer Gustavo Escobar’s next project, Tennyson jumps at the opportunity. When he finds out it is to be a seemingly light weight zombie movie, even that doesn’t dampen his spirits. He moves his family – step daughter Chela, and his father, long retired L.A.P.D. captain Richard Hardwick and ‘the Captain’s” soon to be wife, Marcela to Miami where the film is to be shot.
But when Chela runs into a friend – Maria - from her past as a teenage prostitute, and decides to explore the South Beach night life with her, things begin to go south. Finding her self drawn to easily into that flame of her previous life, and discovering that she is disappointed in her friend, who was like a big sister to her when she was “in the life”, Chela leaves the party early. But when Maria is found seemingly drowned the next day, Chela is suspicious as her friend was not a swimmer and was truly afraid of the water.
Tennyson, out of love for his daughter, decides to check into the event and not expecting to find anything except a party girl who went for a dip when she was drunk or high or both, discovers that Maria was not the first prostitute found washed up on the Florida beaches in recent months.
“South By Southeast” by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes 9/18/2012What starts as a mystery, quickly turns into a procedural and a readers dream of an intelligent serial killer novel. Tennyson Hardwick, on the surface, seems a trite character. He’s led a bigger than life, life. But Underwood and his collaborators; Tananarive Due and Steve Barnes are too good to allow Tennyson to be trite. Tennyson becomes, swiftly, under their deft pen a very human, very introspective man. Warts and all. Having set his life, finally, on a ‘respectable course’ he is driven by a desire, unspoken or even consciously thought, to make those he loves proud. His course to this task of redemption is set in a need to do what is right, not what is expected or legal or advised. Along the way, in prose beautifully rendered, the reader learns that he is not that pretty face; that hard body. Those gifts are not his motivation, but that the celebration of familial love are what drives him.
The plot is what I like to call loosely taut. It is just tight enough where it needs to be and the narration, comfortable. In short, like a good jazz musician, they display mastery of space The plot is what I like to call loosely taut. It is just tight enough where it needs to be and the narration, comfortable. In short, like a good jazz musician, he is a master of space; sometimes the most important part of a com[position is the space between the notes and sometimes the most important things that are written are those things the writers don’t say but leave to the reader to experience.
I repeat myself, but it is so important that the reader understand that I beg forgiveness; the characters are so well written, even the ‘small’ ones, that you’ll want to take them out for a drink. Every single one of them lives and breathes. They are full of life and conflicting but symbiotic motivations. You’ll even grow to like, or at least understand where the antagonists are coming from. Major achievement, this. The sense of place is also marvelously present, whether that place is on a movie set, a make-up artists cramp quarters, Miami’s art deco self image, a popular ‘only the pretty people get in’ night club, Los Angles (including some prehistorically ‘hot-spots’, or a police interrogation room. five stars to all of them.
The only fault I found with the novel, and since I read from an uncorrected ARC (advanced reviewers copy), was a penchant for dwelling too long on an aspect of a characters past, motivation, or reasoning. I suspect this was to convey to the first time reader of the series all the important parts that were in the first three books and are of importance to this story. And the last criticism would be for more than a little reliance on the deus ex machina in the conclusion. At first I was critical of the novels length, as after the main action, there were more than a few pages used to end the book. But when I had waded through those, I found that it was nearly a perfect ending, since this is not wholly a thriller, but an exposition on the growth of Tennyson Hardwick as a man and as a marvelous character.
Blair Underwood is is an American television, film, and stage actor and director. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years.
Tananarive Due is an American author, born in Tallahassee, Florida, the oldest of three daughters of civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due and civil rights lawyer John D. Due Jr. Due was working as a journalist and columnist for the Miami Herald when she wrote her first novel, The Between, in 1995 This, like many of her subsequent books, was part of the supernatural genre. Due has also written The Black Rose, historical fiction about Madam C.J. Walker (based in part on research conducted by Alex Haley before his death) and Freedom in the Family, a non-fiction work about the civil rights struggle.
Steven Barnes is an African-American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch. He has also written the episode "Brief Candle" for Stargate SG-1 and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of Its Parts” Barnes's first published piece of fiction, the 1979 novelette "The Locusts", was written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo Award nominee. Barnes, a Los Angles high School alum and Communications Art major at Pepperdine University, is also a certified hypnotherapist but His true passion, other than writing, is martial and physical arts. He is a black belt in Kenpo Karate (Aikka style), and Kodokan Judo. But perhaps his biggest accomplishment was in winning the heart of his co-author….the pretty one. he is married to Tananarive Due.
Article first published as Book Review: South By Southeast by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes on Blogcritics.
The Dirty Lowdown
Tennyson Hardwick, for those new to the series, is a one time gigolo, body guard, accidental detective and now an aspiring actor hoping to get that one big break that will cast him in a serious role instead of character roles he has been offered for just that; his pretty face and hard body.
Tennyson is about to learn the age old lesson; “Be careful what you wish for. You may just get it.” When offered a lead part by Hollywood darling and heavy weight Academy Award nominated director/producer Gustavo Escobar’s next project, Tennyson jumps at the opportunity. When he finds out it is to be a seemingly light weight zombie movie, even that doesn’t dampen his spirits. He moves his family – step daughter Chela, and his father, long retired L.A.P.D. captain Richard Hardwick and ‘the Captain’s” soon to be wife, Marcela to Miami where the film is to be shot.
But when Chela runs into a friend – Maria - from her past as a teenage prostitute, and decides to explore the South Beach night life with her, things begin to go south. Finding her self drawn to easily into that flame of her previous life, and discovering that she is disappointed in her friend, who was like a big sister to her when she was “in the life”, Chela leaves the party early. But when Maria is found seemingly drowned the next day, Chela is suspicious as her friend was not a swimmer and was truly afraid of the water.
Tennyson, out of love for his daughter, decides to check into the event and not expecting to find anything except a party girl who went for a dip when she was drunk or high or both, discovers that Maria was not the first prostitute found washed up on the Florida beaches in recent months.
“South By Southeast” by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes 9/18/2012What starts as a mystery, quickly turns into a procedural and a readers dream of an intelligent serial killer novel. Tennyson Hardwick, on the surface, seems a trite character. He’s led a bigger than life, life. But Underwood and his collaborators; Tananarive Due and Steve Barnes are too good to allow Tennyson to be trite. Tennyson becomes, swiftly, under their deft pen a very human, very introspective man. Warts and all. Having set his life, finally, on a ‘respectable course’ he is driven by a desire, unspoken or even consciously thought, to make those he loves proud. His course to this task of redemption is set in a need to do what is right, not what is expected or legal or advised. Along the way, in prose beautifully rendered, the reader learns that he is not that pretty face; that hard body. Those gifts are not his motivation, but that the celebration of familial love are what drives him.
The plot is what I like to call loosely taut. It is just tight enough where it needs to be and the narration, comfortable. In short, like a good jazz musician, they display mastery of space The plot is what I like to call loosely taut. It is just tight enough where it needs to be and the narration, comfortable. In short, like a good jazz musician, he is a master of space; sometimes the most important part of a com[position is the space between the notes and sometimes the most important things that are written are those things the writers don’t say but leave to the reader to experience.
I repeat myself, but it is so important that the reader understand that I beg forgiveness; the characters are so well written, even the ‘small’ ones, that you’ll want to take them out for a drink. Every single one of them lives and breathes. They are full of life and conflicting but symbiotic motivations. You’ll even grow to like, or at least understand where the antagonists are coming from. Major achievement, this. The sense of place is also marvelously present, whether that place is on a movie set, a make-up artists cramp quarters, Miami’s art deco self image, a popular ‘only the pretty people get in’ night club, Los Angles (including some prehistorically ‘hot-spots’, or a police interrogation room. five stars to all of them.
The only fault I found with the novel, and since I read from an uncorrected ARC (advanced reviewers copy), was a penchant for dwelling too long on an aspect of a characters past, motivation, or reasoning. I suspect this was to convey to the first time reader of the series all the important parts that were in the first three books and are of importance to this story. And the last criticism would be for more than a little reliance on the deus ex machina in the conclusion. At first I was critical of the novels length, as after the main action, there were more than a few pages used to end the book. But when I had waded through those, I found that it was nearly a perfect ending, since this is not wholly a thriller, but an exposition on the growth of Tennyson Hardwick as a man and as a marvelous character.
Blair Underwood is is an American television, film, and stage actor and director. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years.
Tananarive Due is an American author, born in Tallahassee, Florida, the oldest of three daughters of civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due and civil rights lawyer John D. Due Jr. Due was working as a journalist and columnist for the Miami Herald when she wrote her first novel, The Between, in 1995 This, like many of her subsequent books, was part of the supernatural genre. Due has also written The Black Rose, historical fiction about Madam C.J. Walker (based in part on research conducted by Alex Haley before his death) and Freedom in the Family, a non-fiction work about the civil rights struggle.
Steven Barnes is an African-American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch. He has also written the episode "Brief Candle" for Stargate SG-1 and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of Its Parts” Barnes's first published piece of fiction, the 1979 novelette "The Locusts", was written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo Award nominee. Barnes, a Los Angles high School alum and Communications Art major at Pepperdine University, is also a certified hypnotherapist but His true passion, other than writing, is martial and physical arts. He is a black belt in Kenpo Karate (Aikka style), and Kodokan Judo. But perhaps his biggest accomplishment was in winning the heart of his co-author….the pretty one. he is married to Tananarive Due.
Article first published as Book Review: South By Southeast by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes on Blogcritics.
The Dirty Lowdown
September 15, 2021
If you liked the other one, you'll probably like this, but it's too contrived and over the top for me.
July 3, 2024
3.5. Ten wore me out in this one.
September 26, 2012
I am so bummed that I read this book entirely way too fast, but it was that damn good! OMG, I don't know where to start. I've waited a few months for this latest in the Tennyson Hardwick series to come out, and boy am I proud to say I was NOT disappointed in the least.
My main man, Tennyson, went through some sh*t in this book. I felt every bump and bruise along the way. The characters in this book are so real to me, I want to know why the hell the movies haven't come out yet starring Blair Underwood himself? But anyways, Ten, for the umpteenth time, had vowed never to return to the private dick life, but he should have known that wasn't going to last.
Since bringing home safely, the movie starlet, Sofia Maitlin's, adoptive daughter in the 3rd book of the series, that brought with it a great deal of notoriety, so when movie Director extraordinare, Gustavo Escobar, asks Ten to star in his latest masterpiece, how could Ten turn that down?
The movie was filmed on location in Miami, Florida and Ten decided to bring his family down to enjoy the sun and fun, while he worked. Even though this horror film wasn't Ten's ideal movie role, he did it anyway. While in makeup, his daughter comes to the set and Ten introduces her to the cast and the Director Escobar, who was quite smitten with young Chela. While Chela goes to the sidelines to watch her dad act, an old friend of hers comes to the shooting and a happy reunion is brought forth.
Unfortunately, that reunion is short lived when less than 24 hours later, Chela's old friend turns up dead found by the docks. An apparent suicide drowning--but wait, how could that be because Maria was terrified of the water.
Needless to say, as much as Ten tried his best to convince his baby girl that the police could handle it and this was pretty much a done deal, Chela wasn't havin' none of that. So Ten, once again, had to break his vow and go undercover to find out what happened to his daughter's friend. And the book just takes off from there.
Action! Action! Action! I was glued to the pages and had to go back and re-read because I was reading so fast to keep up with that drama unfolding. This was an AWESOME book! If you haven't read the other three books, you really need to because there are a lot of things you will not understand in this book.
GO BLAIR! You Da Man! I want to see movies of these books and real soon!
My main man, Tennyson, went through some sh*t in this book. I felt every bump and bruise along the way. The characters in this book are so real to me, I want to know why the hell the movies haven't come out yet starring Blair Underwood himself? But anyways, Ten, for the umpteenth time, had vowed never to return to the private dick life, but he should have known that wasn't going to last.
Since bringing home safely, the movie starlet, Sofia Maitlin's, adoptive daughter in the 3rd book of the series, that brought with it a great deal of notoriety, so when movie Director extraordinare, Gustavo Escobar, asks Ten to star in his latest masterpiece, how could Ten turn that down?
The movie was filmed on location in Miami, Florida and Ten decided to bring his family down to enjoy the sun and fun, while he worked. Even though this horror film wasn't Ten's ideal movie role, he did it anyway. While in makeup, his daughter comes to the set and Ten introduces her to the cast and the Director Escobar, who was quite smitten with young Chela. While Chela goes to the sidelines to watch her dad act, an old friend of hers comes to the shooting and a happy reunion is brought forth.
Unfortunately, that reunion is short lived when less than 24 hours later, Chela's old friend turns up dead found by the docks. An apparent suicide drowning--but wait, how could that be because Maria was terrified of the water.
Needless to say, as much as Ten tried his best to convince his baby girl that the police could handle it and this was pretty much a done deal, Chela wasn't havin' none of that. So Ten, once again, had to break his vow and go undercover to find out what happened to his daughter's friend. And the book just takes off from there.
Action! Action! Action! I was glued to the pages and had to go back and re-read because I was reading so fast to keep up with that drama unfolding. This was an AWESOME book! If you haven't read the other three books, you really need to because there are a lot of things you will not understand in this book.
GO BLAIR! You Da Man! I want to see movies of these books and real soon!
December 27, 2012
Tennyson Hardwick reappears in South by Southeast, a mystery thriller written by Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes (husband & wife authors), presented by acclaimed actor, Blair Underwood. You must read the previous Tennyson Hardwick mysteries, Casanegra, In the Night of the Heat & From Cape Town with Love to really know Tennyson Hardwick and how much he has grown in character. A former gigolo to the stars, who aspires to be that legit budding actor, falls into a case when he does the one thing he regrets. Allowing his daughter, Chela, (who he has taken into his home and away from the same life of prostitution he used to live), to go out with a friend she has not seen since those days she left behind.
Although Tennyson is glad to be working again as an actor, he cannot help but feel that something is wrong with Chela’s friend Maria. When Maria turns up dead, Chela begs Tennyson to find the killer. Little does he know, he should have never made any promises as the turn of events bring out more grueling mishaps since his days of hustling rich broads. Tennyson is a smooth, tough private investigator who loves to kick ass, especially when one’s life depends on it. His relationship with his father Captain is more sentimental than ever as he gets older. Tennyson also has a love of his life, April, whom he relies on far more than just moral support.
Because the authors are screenwriters, the book reads swift like a movie script. Told in first person by Tennyson and switching to third person with other main characters, you can feel the emotion, grit and glamour from each character. Including the villain. The themes and settings in Miami and Los Angeles are extremely vivid even if you have never visited either place. Tennyson revisits people from his past who he wishes he never came across, but in the long run, they actually help him. There should be more to come from our favorite actor/P.I., Tennyson Hardwick as we await the next novel.
Although Tennyson is glad to be working again as an actor, he cannot help but feel that something is wrong with Chela’s friend Maria. When Maria turns up dead, Chela begs Tennyson to find the killer. Little does he know, he should have never made any promises as the turn of events bring out more grueling mishaps since his days of hustling rich broads. Tennyson is a smooth, tough private investigator who loves to kick ass, especially when one’s life depends on it. His relationship with his father Captain is more sentimental than ever as he gets older. Tennyson also has a love of his life, April, whom he relies on far more than just moral support.
Because the authors are screenwriters, the book reads swift like a movie script. Told in first person by Tennyson and switching to third person with other main characters, you can feel the emotion, grit and glamour from each character. Including the villain. The themes and settings in Miami and Los Angeles are extremely vivid even if you have never visited either place. Tennyson revisits people from his past who he wishes he never came across, but in the long run, they actually help him. There should be more to come from our favorite actor/P.I., Tennyson Hardwick as we await the next novel.
December 26, 2012
Tennyson Hardwick is back in South by Southeast by authors Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes. This book is the fourth in the Ten series, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
The quick run-down: Tennyson and the crew are in South Beach while Ten is filming a new horror movie. While visiting the set, Chela runs into her old friend, Maria. After a night out on the town, Maria’s body is found on the beach. Chela is determined to find the killer and puts herself in danger. Ten, being the hot detective he is, promises Chela he will find Maria’s killer. However, finding the killer isn’t as easy as he thought, as the trap Ten sets for the killer horribly fails. The killer appears to have committed suicide, ending the investigation. When the dust settles and all appears well and good, the killer stalks Ten and his family, and Ten has to save his loved ones, even if it means dying himself.
I truly love a good mystery, and the Tennyson Hardwick series is a good one. Readers all watch as Chela’s new reality fights with her old one. Ten is trying to be a good father and son, but what will he do about his relationship with April? Despite being a good, solid book, it does lack the magic the other books in the series had; something was just missing for me. Nevertheless, I enjoy travelling with Ten and reading about his family, relationships, and escapades. I cannot wait for another installment in the series.
*edited; full version on my blog
The quick run-down: Tennyson and the crew are in South Beach while Ten is filming a new horror movie. While visiting the set, Chela runs into her old friend, Maria. After a night out on the town, Maria’s body is found on the beach. Chela is determined to find the killer and puts herself in danger. Ten, being the hot detective he is, promises Chela he will find Maria’s killer. However, finding the killer isn’t as easy as he thought, as the trap Ten sets for the killer horribly fails. The killer appears to have committed suicide, ending the investigation. When the dust settles and all appears well and good, the killer stalks Ten and his family, and Ten has to save his loved ones, even if it means dying himself.
I truly love a good mystery, and the Tennyson Hardwick series is a good one. Readers all watch as Chela’s new reality fights with her old one. Ten is trying to be a good father and son, but what will he do about his relationship with April? Despite being a good, solid book, it does lack the magic the other books in the series had; something was just missing for me. Nevertheless, I enjoy travelling with Ten and reading about his family, relationships, and escapades. I cannot wait for another installment in the series.
*edited; full version on my blog
April 10, 2015
South by Southeast
Blair Underwood (Author)
South by Southeast is the fourth novel in the continuing adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, an actor turned super-sleuth. It is written by Blair Underwood, known primarily as an actor, and the best-selling authors Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. I am normally wary of books with more than one author (unless they are anthologies), but this book steps over the potential traps, with all three contributing to a story line that has one foot in crime fiction, and another in more general fiction, with Underwood's experience as an actor put to good use.
Hardwick finds his own personal life at risk in this adventure, after landing a role in a horror film. A crime involves the murder of a friend of his adopted daughter, and from there the story looks at a possible serial killer, but even here, things are not what they seem. The book has been well researched, with deep characterisations of figures within the story, whilst the crime and forensics are on a par with many of the CSI off-shoots that make up a lot of mainstream television programming.
This is a good read, and although at times it can seem flash, and shallow, the tightness of the writing, and the knowledge of this genre that has been developed in the previous three novels in the series carries it through.
Blair Underwood (Author)
South by Southeast is the fourth novel in the continuing adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, an actor turned super-sleuth. It is written by Blair Underwood, known primarily as an actor, and the best-selling authors Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. I am normally wary of books with more than one author (unless they are anthologies), but this book steps over the potential traps, with all three contributing to a story line that has one foot in crime fiction, and another in more general fiction, with Underwood's experience as an actor put to good use.
Hardwick finds his own personal life at risk in this adventure, after landing a role in a horror film. A crime involves the murder of a friend of his adopted daughter, and from there the story looks at a possible serial killer, but even here, things are not what they seem. The book has been well researched, with deep characterisations of figures within the story, whilst the crime and forensics are on a par with many of the CSI off-shoots that make up a lot of mainstream television programming.
This is a good read, and although at times it can seem flash, and shallow, the tightness of the writing, and the knowledge of this genre that has been developed in the previous three novels in the series carries it through.
July 22, 2013
South by Southeast by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes
Wonderful action packed read, experience the vulnerability of the characters, their strength to endure the painful events and appreciation of the devotion of real family and friends.
This installment of the Tennyson Hardwick series will not disappoint.
I found the development of every character so well sculptured in every nuance. The secondary characters are critical supportive members of South by Southeast and were meaningful partners to the implementation of this suspenseful, jaw dropping, and rapid paced read. The authors demonstrated their skills as they chiseled out the stunning characters: Tennyson, Chela, Captain Hardwick, Marcella, Gustavo Escobar, and Maria. The main and secondary characters are beautiful sculptured and realistic with their personalities, their life conflicts. The settings were easy to identify: Miami and Hollywood are created vividly. The thriller South by Southeast is as captivating as a high speed ride in a Ferrari or Lamborghini in the Nevada desert.
The book is packed with the elements of a great action-packed novel. It is suspenseful and strongly realistic. The writers’ style, flow, and language vividly depicts settings, emotions, rising action and resolution.
Wonderful action packed read, experience the vulnerability of the characters, their strength to endure the painful events and appreciation of the devotion of real family and friends.
This installment of the Tennyson Hardwick series will not disappoint.
I found the development of every character so well sculptured in every nuance. The secondary characters are critical supportive members of South by Southeast and were meaningful partners to the implementation of this suspenseful, jaw dropping, and rapid paced read. The authors demonstrated their skills as they chiseled out the stunning characters: Tennyson, Chela, Captain Hardwick, Marcella, Gustavo Escobar, and Maria. The main and secondary characters are beautiful sculptured and realistic with their personalities, their life conflicts. The settings were easy to identify: Miami and Hollywood are created vividly. The thriller South by Southeast is as captivating as a high speed ride in a Ferrari or Lamborghini in the Nevada desert.
The book is packed with the elements of a great action-packed novel. It is suspenseful and strongly realistic. The writers’ style, flow, and language vividly depicts settings, emotions, rising action and resolution.
December 9, 2012
Good story, well-written (no suprise there) but very predictable. I knew who the perpetrator was immediately, as likely will most readers. This could have been a 5 star book if there had been at least SOMETHING in the tale that surprised me. Predictability coupled with the incredibly stupid behavior of the lead characters....and frankly the truth is I spent most of my time with this novel in a state of annoyance. Chela, of by herself investigating a serial killer? Getting into cars and such by herself with potential suspects? Ten, using his 200-yr-old (exaggerating, of course) dad, who has one foot in the grave already with serious health problems, as a backup in a "sting" operation? And the list of Stupid Actions goes on, some of which I won't reveal as they are potential spoilers.
Tennyson Hardwick lovers will likely forgive him his missteps in this novel and love the book. The book is easy to enjoy, and I DID, enjoy it, with an undercurrent of annoyance. The backdrop of Miami is so real you can almost smell the salt in the air. I actually DO recommend the entire series....great pageturners.
DYB
Tennyson Hardwick lovers will likely forgive him his missteps in this novel and love the book. The book is easy to enjoy, and I DID, enjoy it, with an undercurrent of annoyance. The backdrop of Miami is so real you can almost smell the salt in the air. I actually DO recommend the entire series....great pageturners.
DYB
September 9, 2012
First, let me preface this review by saying, I seriously enjoyed this novel – it was told the way a thriller should be told – it made me yearn to see it on the big screen. And it didn’t hurt one bit that I envisioned the author, seductively-handsome actor Blair Underwood in the role of the protagonist, Tennyson Hardwick.
Licentious super-sleuth Tennyson Hardwick is back in what looks to be his most compelling case to date. South by Southeast the fourth installment in this award-winning mystery series proves to be a great addition to the already note-worthy series and as a stand-alone thriller. It starts off as a smooth comfortable tale of an ex-gigolo, part-time actor - who’s lost his drive and perhaps his box office appeal. However, early on in the story there are hints that promise and deliver an entertaining read like no other - as this tale captures and moves the reader’s attention on an excursion from LA to South Beach and Read More
Licentious super-sleuth Tennyson Hardwick is back in what looks to be his most compelling case to date. South by Southeast the fourth installment in this award-winning mystery series proves to be a great addition to the already note-worthy series and as a stand-alone thriller. It starts off as a smooth comfortable tale of an ex-gigolo, part-time actor - who’s lost his drive and perhaps his box office appeal. However, early on in the story there are hints that promise and deliver an entertaining read like no other - as this tale captures and moves the reader’s attention on an excursion from LA to South Beach and Read More
November 25, 2012
My thoughts:
• This is a pleasurable EPO (Entertainment Purposes Only) and will hit-the-spot on a take-it-easy weekend.
• While I enjoyed I do not think that it is the best of the series even though it was suspenseful until the last page
• The appeal of this book/series for me is flawed well-developed characters, reads like watching the action on the screen, and the myriad twists & turns – some you see coming and some will surprise you.
• There were a couple of times in this book that the introspection by the characters were a little too much and dragged the story a little for me
• Characters and incidents from prior books make an appearance in this story and so a couple of loose ends were tied up
• Good airplane and/or vacation read. If you liked the prior books in the series you will like this one.
• This is a pleasurable EPO (Entertainment Purposes Only) and will hit-the-spot on a take-it-easy weekend.
• While I enjoyed I do not think that it is the best of the series even though it was suspenseful until the last page
• The appeal of this book/series for me is flawed well-developed characters, reads like watching the action on the screen, and the myriad twists & turns – some you see coming and some will surprise you.
• There were a couple of times in this book that the introspection by the characters were a little too much and dragged the story a little for me
• Characters and incidents from prior books make an appearance in this story and so a couple of loose ends were tied up
• Good airplane and/or vacation read. If you liked the prior books in the series you will like this one.
September 27, 2013
AMAZING! Although I’m new to the Tennyson Hardwick series, Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes quickly drew me into their riveting, suspenseful, nail-biting thriller, South by Southeast. The serial killer is as demented as any character who would star in a Criminal Minds episode, the drama is palpable as Tennyson tries to resuscitate his acting career while making amends with his father, taming a strong-willed, feisty soon-to-be stepdaughter, and coming to terms with his unrequited feelings for his former lover. And if that’s not enough to get your motor running, throw in several murders committed by a psychotic serial killer set on revenge and you have the makings of one fantastic mystery, thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Read More...
May 29, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It becomes clear very early who the perpetrator is, and I could see there were many more chapters in the book, so I wondered where the story was going to go. But the book still gives twists and turns and thrills. The only thing that bothers me is the obvious foreshadowing with lines like, "I didn't know how wrong I would be about x." There is no need for it. It's a mystery, we know that the detective is going to miss things and be wrong about their assumptions.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and would love to see this made into a TV series.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and would love to see this made into a TV series.
February 18, 2013
It’s obvious from my reviews that I’m going to read every book written in this series. However, the plot was predictable this time. I don’t know if I’m a pro now or if South by Southeast simply wasn’t as suspenseful as the others. I was able to guess plot twists in ways that I hadn’t before. I missed the intrigue, and I missed the sex. There were really only two steamy scenes this time. It was cool for the narrative to expand to Miami especially since I’d just been there but the “OMG what’s going to happen next factor” simply wasn’t as strong this time around.
October 16, 2012
I have been waiting a LONG time for Tennyson Hartwick to make his return and he is finally back! I really enjoyed this book! My only criticism is that I found it a bit more predictable than the first three books, but it had enough twists to keep me entertained. As always, I can't wait for Ten's next adventure!!
April 25, 2014
This was a great series! I absolutely love Tennyson! This novel is my favorite out of the complete series. My only criticism is that it's very obvious early on who the killer is (at least for me I was able to figure it out quickly). But with that being said, it was still a great story with lots of action and great storytelling. Big ups to authors Underwood, Due and Barnes!
October 11, 2012
I just finished reading, South by Southeast by Blair Underwood, Tananarive Due, and Steven Barnes. All I will say is they did NOT disappoint with this latest installment!! If you have not read the Tennyson Hardwick series and you love mysteries, this is a must read!!!!!
July 3, 2015
Another winner! Can't wait for the next one. Even though Ten promised April's parents he's done with investigative work, I hope he gets sucked into another case. Loved how this one all pieced together. I was definitely on edge waiting for Gustavo's next move.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2013
I am not sure why these Tennyson Hardwick books are listed as by Blair Underwood, when Tananarive Due and Stephan Barnes are co-authors.
This series is entertaining and not so predictable. Entertaining, but not as good as Walter Mosely or the "My Soul to Keep" series.
This series is entertaining and not so predictable. Entertaining, but not as good as Walter Mosely or the "My Soul to Keep" series.
March 23, 2013
The depth of evil that lurks within was properly written. I enjoyed the times of reflection regarding the pull of past lives for both Ten and the daughter as well as the stark reality of how death effects the psychic.
October 22, 2014
Loved it!
a book club selection, I really enjoyed. I read the first book in the series for some background, and then moved on to this one.
ten gets into some harrowing situations...and I love the thought process he goes through in getting out of them.
great writing collab.
a book club selection, I really enjoyed. I read the first book in the series for some background, and then moved on to this one.
ten gets into some harrowing situations...and I love the thought process he goes through in getting out of them.
great writing collab.
March 23, 2016
I really enjoyed the suggested playlist at the beginning of the book. It really helped set the mood for the book. The writing for the book is good but after the killer was revealed I found myself wondering when will this book end.
December 9, 2012
Out of all of the Tennyson books, I think this one is my favorite. I liked that we didn't only get to hear from Ten, but some of the other characters as well.
September 23, 2012
A wonderful, fast-paced read. Tennyson is back and at his best.
September 24, 2012
I really liked it!!!!! it was awesome & I couldn't put it down!
January 27, 2013
Love, love, love Tennyson Hardwick! I waited for this book for a long time and I was not disappointed. Two thumbs up!
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