The Eighth Master: Art, Architecture, and an Untimely Death

by J.D. Rutherford

Somebody is going to die, and it won’t be an accident.

Neil is an idealistic architect;
Shelley is his over qualified and physically fit assistant;
David is too rich for his own good;
Lydia is David’s capable live-in mistress and full-time assistant;
Karl just wants to build a winery;
Georgia is David’s ex;
Derek is Georgia’s attorney;
Keith is the David’s brother;
Jennifer is a New York art dealer;
Steven is a striving attorney; and
Rick just owns a nice boat.

Sean is the small town detective who has to figure it all out and find a killer with the help of Special Agent Marcus Little.


JD Rutherford has created a compelling, multi-layered saga of deceit and intrigue that will keep you guessing from start to finish.

Genres: Fiction

492 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2018

Reviews

[SKR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend who knows my fondness for the Napa Valley suggested I read this book over a long weekend.  It was a tough sell (I usually read non-fiction) but a good call.  By the end of the weekend, I had revisited one of my favorite locations and been given a glimpse into the world of architecture, high end art sales, and California's wine country -- all while trying to solve a murder mystery that kept me guessing until the end.

I don't usually read fiction ... or write reviews, but this one got me. It was a goodread.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like architect porn, but, like myself, you don't have to be an architect to enjoy this mystery.

"That is all there is to say."

[Debra B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done!

Great combination of elements... wine country, art and architecture. I learned a lot, but a lot of the architectural discussion was over my head and reflects the author's (possible) professional experience with construction and architecture.

The plot and the characters were very detailed and very believable. I found the story to be fascinating right through to a most unexpected end.

[Sherrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK plot, poorly written

There's a reasonably complicated whodunit in this book, but it asks a lot of the reader to get to it. Awkward prose, implausible dialogue, and enough extraneous comments to add a good hundred unnecessary pages make this a slog. If you are looking for wine or art as themes, skip it - they are superficial context here. If you are looking for a murder mystery that talks about construction a lot, this one is for you.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a speedy read, unless you are one who rushes through a book just to say you've read it. This book took time and more than once I was on the internet looking up architectural, artist and financial references. I expected I'd be introduced to architecture but I was thrown into the world of art auctions and intermediaries and financial wheeling and dealing the likes of which I've never known as well.

But ta da! There was a murder mystery in there and wow! It was really, really good! I mean, REALLY good!

Who ARE you JD? My sense is that you are intimately familiar with not only architecture, but art and finance as well. I suspect the only real research necessary on your part was that of law enforcement.

At any rate, if you, dear reader, are looking for a beautifully written, educational thriller, this is it. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out 'who done it', but I didn't figure this one out until very near the end.

[Lynette Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the book had way too much unnecessary detail. I often appreciate some detail, when an author is describing a scene or a particular character. In this case, a lot of the detail was distracting and caused me to lose focus on the plot. It was also distracting for the author to leap from one time period to the next. At least a year went by and then everyone reconnects and I'm wondering what was the point in that? And finally, I can also tolerate one or two leaps of faith, but I have trouble when the crimes become utterly unbelievable. In this case, I simply could not believe that the characters chosen to commit these crimes would be capable of doing all that they did (I know that's a cryptic comment but I don't want to give everything away). Overall, I had enough interest in the character of the architect to follow through with the book but apart from him, none of the others were very interesting.

[Caryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will not finish reading this book. I stopped at 15% because n-o-t-h-i-n-g is happening. The writer goes on and on about the details regarding the current construction state of a mansion, and the drawings, etc. I am somewhat familiar with the basics of construction but even for me it quickly became too much info and no substance. Where is the drama? Where is the purported murder? By 15% in, I just didn't care anymore. The dialogue is inane and stilted as well. The narration would suddenly go into several paragraphs describing a character's background, hobbies, etc. For these sections, the writer should learn how to "show don't tell". I would rather read a nonfiction book about architecture than this "novel". I was actually skimming pages to see if the book started to get interesting, but it didn't.

[Tiffany Hannick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story

I enjoyed this book as a whole. The story was I interesting and thought provoking. There where some times that the story was hard to follow as it jumped to different times giving background about different characters and then it would jump back to the current part of the story dealing with a separate character. The author did a great job keeping me guessing about who the real killer was and in the end of the story it ended up being someone who I never would have guessed.

[Mitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhhhh dear lawd did this book keep me intrigued! Wine, art and murder? Give me! This book kept me guessing the whole Time! I absolutely couldn't put it down. Trust me when I say going to the potty was quite interesting.. 😂

[Vanessa Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready to read

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read.

[Ashley Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mystery that keeps you guessing!

[Debbie Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the engaging and riveting story. David Johnsson, an extremely wealthy man, wanted t0 hire, Neil, to review the work the contractor claimed on his chateau was well past 50% complete, review the work, and to write up a report of his findings. While Neil is doing research, his office & home is vandalized, Johnsson's maps are stolen, Neil becomes a suspect in David's murder, Neil is arrested and released, and Shelley, his secretary, lover, and girlfriend breaks up with him. David's brother, Keith, wants to find his brother's killer. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and full of mystery and suspense.
I reviewed a copy of the book won through Goodreads.

[Ashley Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery that keeps you guessing!