The Wrong Side of Memphis

'Nam Noir #1

by Claire Applewhite

A Vietnam vet turned P.I. ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time – at the Jewel Arms apartments in St. Louis, as he matches wits with a ruthless killer. Elvin Suggs already knew how to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Decades earlier, spending time as a Green Beret during The Siege of Khe Sanh taught him about the wrong side of 1968. Now with his life in a shambles after his wife demands a divorce—brokenhearted and broke but determined to salvage his pride and his dreams—Elvin turns to the only person he can count on, Dimond Redding, his best friend's widow. A fellow 'Nam vet and new tenant at the Jewel Arms apartment building in St. Louis, Missouri, Dimond is ready to move out before Elvin even arrives when a random murder occurs right outside her front door. She can't break her lease, but with a ruthless killer on the loose and corpses suddenly turning up everywhere, she wonders if she'll be the next victim. Homicide Detective Rick Valentino doesn't seem to be getting anywhere fast on the case, so experienced Private Investigator Elvin lends a hand, working to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The odd assortment of tenants and strange goings-on at the Jewel Arms provide more questions than answers, including connections with Elvin's past. When another car with Tennessee plates shows up at the apartment building is it a coincidence, or is someone following him? As Elvin inches closer to the truth he has to remind himself that he knows all about the wrong places and times. Only this time he's got nothing to lose—he's on the wrong side of Memphis.

605 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2009

About the author

Claire Applewhite is a graduate of St. Louis University, (AB, Communications, MBA), Mercantile Leadership Program for Women. A participant in the Writers Institute at Washington University, and freelance writer—Healthy Cells magazine, House of Style magazine, reporter for Patch.com.

Published works: The Wrong Side of Memphis, Moonlight Becomes You So (2009), Crazy For You (2010), St. Louis Hustle, Candy Cadillac (2011). Website: www.Claireapplewhite.com, radio and television interviews available.

Immediate Past President, Missouri Writers Guild, Board member of Midwest Chapter, Mystery Writers of America. Member, St. Louis Metropolitan Press Club, St. Louis Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime, Ozark Writers League and Active Status member, Mystery Writers of America.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dimond Redding, former Vietnam War field nurse, moves to St. Louis for some peace and quiet, thinking to retire there. But that’s not to be. Two weeks later, a man is murdered in the apartment across the hall from Di. Di suspects the investigating detective is focusing on the wrong person when he arrests a friend of one of the tenants in Di’s building. Elvin Suggs, Green Beret during the Vietnam War, is reeling from his wife’s demands for a divorce. Suggs takes his dog and heads to St. Louis to visit Di, his best friend’s widow. Suggs, a private investigator, suspects something afoul when more people are murdered in Di’s apartment building, including his wife. When Suggs is accused of his wife’s murder, he decides to investigate on his own and soon finds his own life in danger.

Applewhite brings focus to Vietnam vets via the characters in this book, stressing their outlook on the war and the role they played in it as well as the lives they lead and the friendships they cherish from that time period. This whodunit has plenty of suspects with several shifty characters, all with secrets of their own, occupying the apartment building. Suggs is an appealing character with a warm heart and zest for life. His dog Vanna adds an appealing dimension to the read, as does Cobra, the homeless Vietnam vet Suggs helps.

[Michelle Akers-dicken · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be another "Goodwill" jewel! Nope. It was signed by the author so I allowed myself the luxury of being excited. Claire Applewhite's credentials are impressive AND she's writing about my hometown of St. Louis, more specifically, about the area of South St. Louis where I grew up. Being ALSO from St. Louis, I had expected the author to be more realistic about the characters (by the way... WAY too many characters) Midwestern dialects and personalities. Sadly, this wasn't the case. I felt like I was reading a story staged in the 1920's or 1930's, also in Chicago. Some of the characters spoke like a cheap gangster movie. I'm not sure about anyone else but I was almost insulted. The Southern dialects might have been written tongue in cheek but they were stereotypical and also a little insulting. For me, there wasn't much of a plot and it was a little predictable. I wasn't able to relate to one single character and didn't feel a close connection to any of them.

I didn't give this 1 star because this book was sort of a page turner, in a train wreck sort of way. I had hoped there was a method to the madness but by the time I got to the last chapter, I realized I just wasted a day of my life. Ugh.