An inheritance worth millions. A killer with a list…and Smiley’s on it.
A phone call from out of the blue leads blind PI Steve Smiley to become executor of a large Texas estate—one which includes the last undeveloped lakefront property in the state. While the sheriff is hunting for the rancher’s killer, a second death occurs. The ranch foreman is found murdered.
Someone is intent on getting their hands on that property. Any of the four siblings could be guilty of one, or both, of the murders. There’s no love lost in the dysfunctional family. But which one wanted the land bad enough to kill for it? Or was it a conspiracy?
Steve and his partner Heather are hired to find out who killed the ranch foreman. They unearth a long-buried family secret that could solve the mystery, but will it also lead to more killing? A person desperate not to be discovered attacks Heather. Steve needs to stop the killer or the next funeral could be his.
An inheritance worth millions. A killer with a list…and Smiley’s on it.
A phone call from out of the blue leads blind PI Steve Smiley to become executor of a large Texas estate—one which includes the last undeveloped lakefront property in the state. While the sheriff is hunting for the rancher’s killer, a second death occurs. The ranch foreman is found murdered.
Someone is intent on getting their hands on that property. Any of the four siblings could be guilty of one, or both, of the murders. There’s no love lost in the dysfunctional family. But which one wanted the land bad enough to kill for it? Or was it a conspiracy?
Steve and his partner Heather are hired to find out who killed the ranch foreman. They unearth a long-buried family secret that could solve the mystery, but will it also lead to more killing? A person desperate not to be discovered attacks Heather. Steve needs to stop the killer or the next funeral could be his.
My Thoughts /
Former Houston homicide detective, Steve Smiley, lost both his wife and his sight in a random attack of violence. Finding it hard to give up on a life he lived and loved, Steve now works with attorney, Heather McBlythe, as private investigators specialising in murder cases.
In this instalment, it's not a murder that sends both Steve and Heather flying off to Texas, but rather a rather unusual request from an old friend. When Texas rancher Charley Voss phoned Steve out of the blue one day and told him that he'd made him executor of his Last Will and Testament, Steve had no inkling he'd be called upon to perform that duty so soon.
When the call came in that Charley Voss had died, the County Sheriff wouldn't commit to it being murder, but had 'strong suspicions' that was the case. However, even though Steve Smiley was now acting in his capacity as 'Executor', nothing was going to stop him from investigating his friend's death.
Steve's phone announced the time to be 7:15 a.m. One week had passed since he and Heather arrived at the resort, and they'd begun the arduous task of reading and interpreting a strange hand-written Will. In that week, sibling rivalries and long-held grievances surfaced like festering sores, not to mention blood shed on the carpet of a conference room and at the Rocking V ranch. A killer needed to be apprehended, and the final settling of the estate would take place in a matter of days.
Another strong narrative by author Bruce Hammack, with several plot threads to follow which were all carefully sewn up nicely by the end. Lots of squabbling sibling rivalry by Charley's adult children over how his estate should be divided. But ultimately, the terms of Charley Voss' unusual (but legally valid) Will prevailed in the end. You can imagine, with an estate as large as this Texas rancher had, his children exhibited all the hallmarks of bad behaviour. Adult children were transformed into kindergarten aged pupils who, when they didn't get their own way, began bickering and throwing tantrums. Which all proved fruitless as Charley's Will stood its ground.
When a second unexpected death occurs during the reading of the Will, it throws Smiley and McBlythe another curve ball. This will alter the affect of the provisions in the Will and adds yet another element of mystery and intrigue to the story.
I am really enjoying how the author incorporates a little more of our main characters' histories with each new book. Makes you feel as though you are getting a good read of what makes them who they are. Not to mention that I'm rather enamoured with the whole, 'how does a blind man solve a murder' scenario.
Bravo Mr Hammack, you've navigated us through another tricky narrative and our protagonists have come through with flying colours. Bring on the next!
I love the characters in this book, and look forward to reading other books in this series. You have partners who work equally, bringing their own skills to work as a team. The writing is descriptive enough to imagine the scenes, but not too much to make me want to skip over anything. A great mystery to keep you thinking until the very end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Steve gets roped into being the executor of a will for a Texas rancher and has to deal with the four siblings who are potentially in line to inherit, and find out if any of them is the murderer. He brings along Heather to help assess the situation, but she is also dealing with juggling the expectations of her mogul father and her lawyer boyfriend, and is looking into whether the ranch is a worthwhile investment. This one is a solid mystery and also balances some interesting personal dilemmas for the protagonists.
Steve Smiley, a blind private investigator, got a phone call from a rancher he hadn’t talked to in 15 years. He was asking Steve to be the executor of his Will and he put the original in the mail to him. His business partner, Heather McBlythe was reading the Will to him when a call came in. Not recognizing the name, Steve dismissed it, until Sheriff Stony Blake called when his Chief Deputy had been unable to get through. They had found Charley Voss’ body by his barn, dead for several days. The Sheriff wouldn’t admit it was murder but had “strong suspicions” and the body was on its way for an autopsy. Hector DeLeon, the foreman, had found Voss. Regardless, Steve arrived in Texas to read the Will and coach the four mourning heirs in how to best divide an estate of nine thousand acres, cattle, and substantial life insurance settlements. They were not invited to help with the murder investigation… yet.
The Deputy Sheriff, Marvin Goodnight, was at the reading of the Will. The heirs were obnoxious to each other and to Steve and Heather, and even to Marvin. Marvin afterward said he knew one of them committed the murder, all had keys to the gates and ranch house, but he couldn’t figure which one did it yet.
The reader gets more of the heirs’ personalities at each meeting that Steve referees! They are a cutthroat bunch, but they don’t realize who they are up against! Soon a family secret will be revealed that will be very enlightening. The main characters were fascinating as we see Steve so competent while Heather has worked herself to death and is dropping the ball left and right because she is so overwhelmed. Grab your copy and enjoy the unraveling of the clues to find the guilty culprit! There is so much intrigue going on that will rivet the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Just observing how Steve gathers information despite not having his sight is a true pleasure. And as they get closer to the truth, the killer becomes desperate. You won’t want to miss it!
I really enjoy a good suspense and mystery! This book is another in the Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series. If you love a good mystery, you will really enjoy this book. It's an intriguing book, that will keep you guessing as to who the culprit was. This author is a great mystery author and I am sure you will enjoy this captivating read!
This book revolves around a will and the siblings who are all hoping they will be the recipients of the best parts of the will. During this time two murders come into play and the search for the killer begins. You will love this book as you read about the various family members wondering and who may be the killer. But it will surprise you! I received an ebook copy of this book by the author. All thoughts are my own.
Five Card Murder is A Smiley McBlythe Mystery. Bruce Hammack has written an exciting cozy mystery. The book opens with blind PI Steve Smiley being named executor of a Texas estate which has the last undeveloped Prime land. This is the jumping off for an exciting story. Bruce Hammack has developed characters perfect for the story. There are so many possibilities when the foreman is murdered. Steve’s partner, Heather, is attacked and the story keeps building until a satisfying climax. I received an arc for free, I am leaving my review voluntarily.
I had an advance reader copy and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It grabbed me right at the beginning and continued with a saga of interesting family drama. A double who dunnit, with betrayals and back stabbing. The lead up to the ending is quite exciting. A great read.
Steve Smiley is surprised to receive a phone call from Charley Voss. Charley has asked Steve to be the executor of his estate. The Will is divided into two sections and the heirs have five days to reach a full agreement on the first part. If they fail to fully agree, the second part lays out an alternate arrangement. While discussing the unusual request with Heather, Steve gets a phone call from Sheriff Stony Blake of Llano County. Charley Voss was found dead and had been dead for several days.
When Steve and Heather meet with the heirs to read the will, they encounter animosity and accusation among the heirs with no hint of even considering compromise or cooperation! The murder of the ranch foreman, Hector DeLeon, adds to the mystery and complicates the situation! A call from Heather's father sends her to Montana to look at a potential purchase, leaving Steve to deal with the will on his own.
Who killed Charley? Who killed Hector? Are the two deaths related? Can Steve get the siblings to agree on anything related to the inheritances? Can Steve sort through the lies and accusations to reach an equitable solution? Will Heather return in time to assist Steve with the will and inheritances?
Bruce Hammack has created a surprisingly complex mystery with this story! The characters and situations are very realistic with plenty of twists, turns, red herrings to keep the reader thoroughly engaged. As always, there are also dashes of humor throughout the story to lighten the mood.
After their father dies, siblings gather to hear the will. It's presented by Steve Smiley; a former police detective, (now a private detective and blind), with his attorney business partner, Heather. They don't normally do this type of work, but something up their alley might be involved.
Heather's head wasn't completely in the game, but she may have bigger problems--one is her habit of kicking an anthill--then sitting where she is sure to be hurt.
What does lake-front property in Texas have to do with five-card stud poker? They're two things sandwiched between homicide and a form of justice. Sometimes crime pays, but not if detective Smiley can help it.
Another successful case solved and resolved by the detective duo. An unusual situation, but cleverly woven into a puzzling mystery!
5/5 Stars (Entertaining and clean!)
Thanks to Jubilee Publishing and Book Sirens for the free preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.
Blind PI Steve Smiley gets an unexpected call from an old friend, asking him to be the executor of his latest will but he doesn’t expect to be needed after only a few days. His business partner Heather McBlyth is a lawyer, useful in many ways, especially as, like Steve, she is also an ex police officer.
I like the books I’ve read by this author previously, and I definitely like this pairing. It’s a nice who dunnit with plenty of twists and turns, and some very unlikeable characters too. It’s another book I had to stay up til the early hours to find out what happened and it had an unexpected twist at the end too. Looking forward to reading the next in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I sometimes wonder why I bother leaving a review for a Bruce Hammack book - they are always excellent, always entertaining, always intriguing and there are only so many times I can say "Best ever!!" But this is a good one, or rather another good one.
Smiley has been asked to be an executor to his friend's well and to make sure that the inheritance is dealt with correctly. Not to look into his friend's death, which looks suspiciously like murder. But the benefactors are well suspicious - there is not much love lost between the siblings and none between the dead man and his children. Yes, wow! explosive!
What an excellent twisted experience this was!!! The lies, betrayals, and corruption ran deep and wide. Smiley is relentless in his pursuit of the truth and justice. Heather gets caught up in the violence and reaps some of the violence for her efforts in seeking the truth. Everytime I saw Mae's name (while reading) I had to grit my teeth and my blood pressure went up 20 points. The ending made it very worthwhile and was very satisfying. This was a gripping and compelling read that kept me invested start to finish.
Another success by Bruce Hammack! Another book that holds your interest from start to the last page
Visualization by words is just one of the reasons I loved this book. The unusual pairing of the private investigators, one blind and the other a wealthy attorney makes solving this case a great read!I
This book was well constructed and written. The story is unique and complicated with suspense and some humorous dialogue. The ending was surprising and perfectly wrapped up and explained all of the clues. I was engaged during the entire time that I was reading. I recommend this for anyone who would like an entertaining read.
Five Card Murder is another great installment in the Smiley and McBlythe mystery series! I loved the characters, the dry humor, and the complex mystery. I also appreciate that there's no bad language or innuendo in these mystery books. You can read Five Card Murder as a standalone, so don't worry if you haven't read any others!
Bruce Hammack's Smiley and McBlythe series is my favorite go-to series when I'm in between books. I enjoy the characters, and the way they interact, the positive solutions concerning family, and, of course, the individual mysteries. Five Card Murder had me guessing every step of the way. It never gets stale. Love the Texas setting. Looking forward to more.
I enjoy well-written mysteries and this book is certainly one. I have read the other 5 books of the series and I am complaining that I only have one left to read. Heather and Smiley are great characters and so were the others in the book. Recommend reading.
What a twisted storyline!! I could not put this book down I just had to finish it. A few things really had me fooled I had cast my prediction on others. It was so cool everybody got what they deserved. The story as well written and the peeling of the onion was really well done!
The twists and turns of this story will keep you guessing. This is a well developed plot with believable characters. I rarely post five stars but this mystery of deaths, inheritance, unethical attorneys and a dysfunctional family earned the stars.
I love the characters that Bruce Hammack has created with the Smiley/McBlythe storylines… I found this one to be especially intriguing because it revolves around a family inheritance settlement and a murder mystery. It’s clean, funny and creative. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
I love this author's clean, suspenseful mysteries that are real page turners, leaving you trying to identify or solve the case, which always comes as a surprise at the end of the book.
Excellent cast of characters in addition to Steve and Heather. The will was very interesting, especially how it was written. The mystery was a very twisty story and it kept me questioning who committed the murder. I’m still thinking about it hours later.
This was a unique murder mystery. The characters are great. A blind ex detective turned lawyer settling wills and solving murders. Loved the twist ending with all the family drama and revolution of the two deaths.
If you can unweave this tale before the last page, I’ll give you a 10. The story took me for rollercoaster ride! Steve and Heather are an unbeatable pair! On to Book 5!
I am a few books into this series, which has been great overall. But, this book is my favorite so far. The story was great and the character development was awesome! I highly recommend this series and this book!