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Alice White, Investigator #1
The Case
A divorced legal assistant in 1955 New York City, Alice White, travels to a small upstate mountain community to investigate the violent death of a doctor. What at first appears to have been an accident, unfolds into a deadly power play of greed and marital discord that threatens to end her life, just as she has begun to thaw.
266 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Marc Hirsch
8 books19 followersMarc Hirsch was born in July of 1945 in New York City; raised in the Bronx on the Grand Concourse and 205th Street, coincidentally the home of his fictional heroine Alice White. He attended the Bronx High School of Science & graduated Boston University School of Medicine in 1969. November of 1969 he was asked to attend the American Indians of all tribes who had taken over the abandoned island of Alcatraz as a protest. Marc moved to a small island off the coast of British Columbia, Lasqueti, On it he read used paperback murder mysteries by authors like Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler at night by kerosene lamp, developing a lifelong love of the genre. He also delivered a beautiful baby now in her 40’s and a mother herself.
Dr. Hirsch has a second degree black belt in Soo Bahk Do, a Korean martial art. He is also a recovering alcoholic.
In 2011 he retired from hospitalist work in Kentucky and began as a volunteer at a local free clinic.
In 2012 he published the first edition of his first book, The Case. In 2014 he contracted with a small publishing company, Books, Authors and Artists, to re-edit and republish The Case, market the screenplay of The Case and publish his sequel to The Case, which he has named Hard Case.
Dr. Hirsch has a second degree black belt in Soo Bahk Do, a Korean martial art. He is also a recovering alcoholic.
In 2011 he retired from hospitalist work in Kentucky and began as a volunteer at a local free clinic.
In 2012 he published the first edition of his first book, The Case. In 2014 he contracted with a small publishing company, Books, Authors and Artists, to re-edit and republish The Case, market the screenplay of The Case and publish his sequel to The Case, which he has named Hard Case.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 29, 2021
3.5 STARS
When a renowned doctor is the victim of a violent death, investigator Alive White is sent to conduct an inquiry and determine if this was an accident .. or murder.
What first appears to be an accident, there are other things at play .... greed, a conflicted marriage, and a power play.
Who wanted to see this man dead? His wife? New younger partner? Alice finds several possible suspects .. all with one motive or another. She knows she's getting closer to the truth, when she becomes a target.
This is a nice mystery with moderate suspense ... with a few surprises along the way. The characters are deftly drawn, the suspects are varied. I liked the location ... a small community in Upstate New York in the 1950s. The residents are friendly, some are quirky, and some may be harboring deep, dark secrets. This is the first of a series .. no waiting for books two and three.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery featuring a strong, intelligent, female protagonist. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
When a renowned doctor is the victim of a violent death, investigator Alive White is sent to conduct an inquiry and determine if this was an accident .. or murder.
What first appears to be an accident, there are other things at play .... greed, a conflicted marriage, and a power play.
Who wanted to see this man dead? His wife? New younger partner? Alice finds several possible suspects .. all with one motive or another. She knows she's getting closer to the truth, when she becomes a target.
This is a nice mystery with moderate suspense ... with a few surprises along the way. The characters are deftly drawn, the suspects are varied. I liked the location ... a small community in Upstate New York in the 1950s. The residents are friendly, some are quirky, and some may be harboring deep, dark secrets. This is the first of a series .. no waiting for books two and three.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery featuring a strong, intelligent, female protagonist. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
June 13, 2015
This is Hirsch’s first book. It is a good book. I am glad that I read it and I enjoyed it. However, this book is probably not for everyone. Yet, that being said, one still has to pay the author his dues. He has written a fine book, and he really is a doctor by trade.
A wealthy doctor in 1950’s Stanford, New York is remodeling his home for his wife to the point of being wasteful, gaudy and extravagant. Moreover, he and his wife have a very strained relationship. They do not get along well at all. The doctor disgusts his wife in various ways, but I do not wish to place any spoilers in this review. The doctor partners with another younger doctor. They wish to merge their business with another highly successful doctor in town to have more control and direction of decisions made by the hospital and the medical board. They arrange a meeting at the doctors home that is being remodeled. One of the doctors needs to use the restroom and uses the extravagant master bathroom. When he flushes the toilet there is an explosion and this doctor is killed.
The contractor that received the bid is charged with the crime. He hooks up the final wiring of the toilet and the water heater when his electrician cannot make it to work. His ex-wife, knowing how honest the contractor is, contacts one of his oldest friends, a lawyer in New York City. He agrees to take the case. He initially travels up to Stanton, but takes his investigator, Alice White.
As I mentioned earlier, I do not wish to include any spoilers. However, this is where the action begins and the plot weaves in many directions. The reader has a pretty good idea who was really involved, but they have no idea why. And, twists and turns in the plot do not help the reader come to any conclusions too early. This is a good thing, of course
As I mentioned earlier, I am glad that I read the book. However, I do not know that I would really recommend it to anyone else to read. It was a bit too gumshoe, and Alice White definitely thought too much of herself. I also, tire of books where information flows to the good looking lady because of a few bats of the eye or a button or two undone at the breasts. Sometimes, men are just portrayed too simple. Two stars.
Cam
A wealthy doctor in 1950’s Stanford, New York is remodeling his home for his wife to the point of being wasteful, gaudy and extravagant. Moreover, he and his wife have a very strained relationship. They do not get along well at all. The doctor disgusts his wife in various ways, but I do not wish to place any spoilers in this review. The doctor partners with another younger doctor. They wish to merge their business with another highly successful doctor in town to have more control and direction of decisions made by the hospital and the medical board. They arrange a meeting at the doctors home that is being remodeled. One of the doctors needs to use the restroom and uses the extravagant master bathroom. When he flushes the toilet there is an explosion and this doctor is killed.
The contractor that received the bid is charged with the crime. He hooks up the final wiring of the toilet and the water heater when his electrician cannot make it to work. His ex-wife, knowing how honest the contractor is, contacts one of his oldest friends, a lawyer in New York City. He agrees to take the case. He initially travels up to Stanton, but takes his investigator, Alice White.
As I mentioned earlier, I do not wish to include any spoilers. However, this is where the action begins and the plot weaves in many directions. The reader has a pretty good idea who was really involved, but they have no idea why. And, twists and turns in the plot do not help the reader come to any conclusions too early. This is a good thing, of course
As I mentioned earlier, I am glad that I read the book. However, I do not know that I would really recommend it to anyone else to read. It was a bit too gumshoe, and Alice White definitely thought too much of herself. I also, tire of books where information flows to the good looking lady because of a few bats of the eye or a button or two undone at the breasts. Sometimes, men are just portrayed too simple. Two stars.
Cam
April 21, 2015
Check out the complete review at Views She Writes - WordPress Reviews
The Case is legal detective story of a Divorced Legal Assistant who is hired to investigate the murder of a doctor. The case appears to be a simple matter of negligence.
The story was good. The mystery was a good old-school murder mystery with a variety of characters of different shade. The suspense was well hidden throughout the story and the author made a good effort to maintain the suspense throughout the book. The language of the book was also good enough with almost no obvious mistakes.
However, the characters were too shallow. Alice gave too much credit to her being beautiful and a woman. The author made it look like these characters are enough to gather evidence as apparently, people talk freely when a woman is beautiful or sexy or both. The flow of the story was also a bit flawed. A lot of times, the thoughts of the characters were explained out loud which, I felt, was needless and side tracking the issue. This was basically due to improper narration.
The story overall was very good. The concept was gripping. If the narration style and character depth was changed, the story will do really good.
2 out of 5 points
The Case is legal detective story of a Divorced Legal Assistant who is hired to investigate the murder of a doctor. The case appears to be a simple matter of negligence.
The story was good. The mystery was a good old-school murder mystery with a variety of characters of different shade. The suspense was well hidden throughout the story and the author made a good effort to maintain the suspense throughout the book. The language of the book was also good enough with almost no obvious mistakes.
However, the characters were too shallow. Alice gave too much credit to her being beautiful and a woman. The author made it look like these characters are enough to gather evidence as apparently, people talk freely when a woman is beautiful or sexy or both. The flow of the story was also a bit flawed. A lot of times, the thoughts of the characters were explained out loud which, I felt, was needless and side tracking the issue. This was basically due to improper narration.
The story overall was very good. The concept was gripping. If the narration style and character depth was changed, the story will do really good.
2 out of 5 points
September 29, 2014
Reading the first page of The Case is like stepping out of a moving car, hitting the road at a fast run, and continuing, until you reach the last chapter. From the first paragraph, a fast pace, with clipped, one-line paragraphs that contribute, like pistol shots, to a steady stream of suspense and guesses.
Murder mysteries are a genre not part of my reading, but The Case was a perfect introduction! The fast-stepping action complements the stylistic concatenation of tight, phrase-long paragraphs.
Thanks (for sending me a copy to read.)
Murder mysteries are a genre not part of my reading, but The Case was a perfect introduction! The fast-stepping action complements the stylistic concatenation of tight, phrase-long paragraphs.
Thanks (for sending me a copy to read.)
January 9, 2015
A very good book. He did good on his debut mystery. I read it all in one day. It was a quick read. It held my attention. Looking forward to his next book.
May 22, 2021
Loose ends or not, people are dying, and Alice knew too much!!! I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.
July 23, 2025
toughest read of the year. this book was painful to get through. I couldn't stand the main character and if she popped a button on her blouse one more time I was going to chuck the book in a trash can. every male she spoke to she either imagined in bed or batted her lashes and they lusted for her. she slept with a loaded gun under her pillow with the safety off! Alice White is an absolutely unrealistic moron.
and lines like " he was just as tall as the last time she saw him" and when some guys eyes lit up thinking about being a plumber...were just ridiculous.
the only good part of the book was that it was short.
and lines like " he was just as tall as the last time she saw him" and when some guys eyes lit up thinking about being a plumber...were just ridiculous.
the only good part of the book was that it was short.
June 20, 2023
Highly accurate story as an investigator myself! Fun to read, especially via audio book. I didn't want to stop listening.
February 21, 2024
Though lay enjoyed!
You made dinner late! This was a hard.book to put down. I will read more of your work as I can afford it. Would love to see it in Kindle unlimited.
You made dinner late! This was a hard.book to put down. I will read more of your work as I can afford it. Would love to see it in Kindle unlimited.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews