Bluff

by Susan Yanguas

What do a nearsighted massage therapist, a rookie detective called "Fish," a weekly poker game, and an endangered cougar have in common? Murder, it turns out!

Myopic Abby Ford is the only "eyewitness" to the murder of a local environmentalist. She can't identify the killer, but he can identify her - forcing her to stay one step ahead of his hired goons. When the lead detective also becomes her bodyguard after an attempt on her life, their growing attraction only complicates matters. But what neither suspects is that the killer has an inside edge very close to home...

Set in a suburb of Baltimore, Bluff introduces a cast of quirky and endearing characters that will have you looking forward to the rest of this "crime lite" series.

266 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2013

About the author

Susan Yanguas is a writer/editor for a federal government agency where she also teaches writing workshops. She is a tireless crusader against the use of nouns as verbs and other atrocities in bureaucratic writing. When not at her day job, Susan writes fiction and creative non-fiction, paints, and does Reiki energy work. She is a graduate of Howard County, Maryland’s Citizens’ Police Academy and a member of the Eastern Shore Writers Association. Her stories have appeared in Baltimore-area magazines and internationally published anthologies. She lives in Maryland with two very needy cats.

Her debut novel, Bluff, is the first in her Po-po Poker Mystery series. She is currently working on the sequel, Feed the Kitty, which is tentatively scheduled for publication in the spring of 2014.

Susan blogs as her novel's protagonist, Abby, at: http://susanyanguas.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bluff" is the story of a young woman who becomes a witness in a murder case, ultimately finding herself the target of various events meant to intimidate her (or even kill her?). However, she didn't have her glasses on at the time she saw the alleged murderer, so wasn't really a key witness. But does the murderer know that? With the story set in Howard County, Maryland, there are many references to local places and events, along with some romantic overtones and various twists and turns. My favorite thing about the book is that it was written by a friend (you go, Susan!)

Keep in mind that I'm biased :), but even so, I think this is a really good read. The writing is excellent, the plot is interesting without getting over complicated, and there is good character development (I feel like I actually know these people). It is a perfect summer read; I read it in one day, primarily because I didn't want to put it down, hence I finished it about 1:00 in the morning. Right there, that says something. The book will hold your interest, guaranteed. I was also delighted to see that Susan is planning more books with these same characters. I can't wait!

[Kate Policani · Rating 3 out of 5]

 
 
«««
Abby Ford is an ex-lawyer who has embarked on a surprising new career as a massage therapist. One day on her run she encounters a man bending over another man in a driveway. Later she discovers that she has become the only witness to a murder. Salvatore Santavillagio, a new detective on the local police force, takes her testimony about the strange sight. Unfortunately, she didn't wear her glasses on her run. Still, her chance encounter draws her into a construction deal gone badly and a conflict between progress and nature preservation. Her involvement with the case unfolds into danger, intrigue, threats to her work and life, and maybe even romance.
This book was a lot of fun to read. The mystery, plots, and setbacks worked well with the characters and kept the book interesting. I liked the way the character of Abby rises out of her fear and uncertainty to fight evil and stand up for herself. Susan wrote Abby as a dynamic character with a lot of interesting life changes and inner conflict that connects me to her as the reader. Her side characters had a lot of variety and personality, which I also enjoyed.
I found the first half of the book a bit slow moving, but that problem could be repaired by removing excess details such as the two kindle pages that describe how each of the policemen eat eggrolls.
I also felt confused over whether the author intended the story to focus around Abby or Salvatore, nicknamed Fish. We learned many of Abby's inner thoughts and feelings, but a large part of the book shifts to predominantly follow Salvatore. I found Salvatore's role as a main character one I couldn't connect with. The story hinted a little about the reasons for his standoffish, closed attitude but gave few endearing reasons why I as a reader should expect that. Even his fantasies seemed stifled. With no look behind his facade, he became a vehicle instead of a relatable person. In chapter 15 we began to glimpse a tiny bit of the man beyond the physical description, but never connected much deeper than that. I felt hints at a future book where I might learn more about him, but felt the attempt to keep revelations about his secrets for the next book to hurt this one.
The ending of the book improved over the slower beginning, increasing the stakes to the conclusion. Unfortunately the funeral scene at the end brought back an excess of detail that didn't really connect to the story just finished. Once I powered through it I enjoyed the treat of the last few pages.
I received this book from the author for the purposes of an unbiased review.

[Stuart Aken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled, a ‘Po-po Poker Mystery’, Bluff is a crime novel, set in USA, with a new detective and a sassy female ‘victim’ paired for the romance element. It is one of a series, hence the subtitle.

I know almost nothing about poker, but that didn’t impair my understanding, or my enjoyment of the book. There is humour, tension, a moral message and a credible outcome in this woman in jeopardy tale. The female character, Abigail, is strong and intelligent as well as ‘model girl’ attractive, which helps the plot and the reader’s enjoyment. The male lead is a detective of Italian descent, who I’ll call ‘Sal’, since great play is made of the fact that his colleagues find his full name more or less unpronounceable.

A good detective read, this book is a step above many others in the genre, simply by the inclusion of corruption amongst the wealthy business class and, in particular, a definite criticism of the American legal system’s vulnerability to distortion through the power of money.

I enjoyed the read. The story held my attention and the characters were well drawn. I recommend it to all who enjoy a good, honest crime tale.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful cozy mystery (or "crime lite," as the author calls it) by a new writer.

Premise: an environmental professor is murdered in broad daylight in a nice neighborhood in Maryland, and the only witness is nearsighted and can't identify the killer. The book is narrated with an omniscient point of view, allowing the reader to get into the minds of all the characters. There are a bunch of quirky, yet well-drawn characters and a running poker game throughout the novel where a lot of the crime solving happens.

The author's style reminded me of a toned-down version of Janet Evanovich, and the eco-themed plot is something reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen - another favorite of mine - but not as over the top.

This is apparently the first book in a series, and I'm looking forward to the others. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rich Sanidad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this was a very nice debut novel. It was more of a police procedural than a detective story, and the mystery wasn't particularly complex, but the characterizations and the setting were well done. There were one or two characters who were a little cliched, but as they were not major characters it was easily overlooked.

I have to admit I may have been a little biased when I started this book. I found the self-published volume at a local bookstore, and the story takes place in the area where I live, so I wanted to like this book. I'm pleased to say that the author gave me plenty to like.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable new series with a great cast of characters and a sense of humor!