Death Notes

Ronnie Ventana Mystery #5

by Gloria White

When Ronnie invites her friend and mentor Blackie Coogan to join her at the comeback concert of Match Margolis, the greatest tenor sax and jazz composer alive, she is not expecting a final very final performance. Match seems to owe money all round town, but some very powerful figures illogically don't seem to want to call in the debt. Much to the annoyance of Lieutenant Philly Post, Ronnie is retained by Sharon, Match's flamboyant and younger second wife, and finds herself entwined with San Francisco's shady underworld as the mystery deepens. Death strikes again, and Ronnie herself is in real danger. But from whom? And where and when will the murderer next strike?

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

San Francisco’s two-time EDGAR AWARD finalist GLORIA WHITE is the author of the VERONICA “RONNIE” VENTANA series which features a bicultural (Mexican/Anglo), rule-bending private eye whose deceased parents were cat burglars and who herself is a professional at compromising burglar alarm systems--only she calls it “security consulting.” Ventana is, according to Publisher's Weekly, "an appealing protagonist who engages in intelligent, stylish sleuthing.”

Published in the US, GERMANY, JAPAN, GREAT BRITAIN, ITALY, and audio book format, the series’ other multiple nominations include Shamus, Anthony, and Publishers Weekly's Audio Best of the Year.

Reviews

[audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saved this book as a treat for myself, for a day when I finally had time to sit in my giant reading chair next to the window and just inhale it in one huge gulp. Wound up being two gulps, but that just made it all the better. Great SF night life, great ragged-ass P.I., more ex-boxer Blackie Cooper (per my complaints from the previous book) and just overall delicious. The last quarter lags for only about 15 pages or so, then the ending is just perfect.