Noblesse Oblige

Emma Rhodes #1

by Cynthia Smith

With her impeccable manners, a wardrobe to die for, and the perfect combination of beauty and brains, no one can confuse Emma Rhodes with a run-of-the-mill investigator. She prefers to think of herself as a “private resolver,” a person the rich and famous can turn to when a problem needs to be resolved quickly and quietly. All it takes is $20,000 and two weeks’ time for Emma to prove her worth. So far her record is perfect. But when Emma thwarts the kidnapping of one of Belgium’s royal family, she becomes the unlikely target of Middle Eastern zealots.

Genres: Mystery

250 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Cynthia S. Smith was the author of best-selling non-fiction books until she turned to crime. She lives in Florida.

Reviews

[KathyNV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma is a glamorous, “Private Resolver”. For $20k give her two weeks and she will resolve your problem. With the Belgium royal family as her new clients and friends in Israeli Intelligence what could go wrong? This is a fun read that will take you in many directions. The ending comes out of the blue…but it so fits! I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery!

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOBLESSE OBLIGE - Okay
Smith, Cynthia

Heroine Emma Rhodes is smart, anti-feminist and less than humble. A private detective for the rich, Rhodes is not above flashing a little cleavage to get the job done and can't understand why her "fictional" counterparts "dress in schmattes, dwell in squalor, and wallow in poverty." In Belgium on holiday, Rhodes takes on a Middle Eastern terrorist group to save a kidnapped member of the royal family. Along the way, she beds the country's top cop, outwits the Mossad and learns to make chopped liver.

Okay but the character's ego is beyond belief, even more so than Amelia Peabody. I found her incredibly annoying.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

No need to repeat the publisher's description it is accurate. The writing is engaging and fast-paced...what I like in a mystery-thriller. Emma Rhodes is a nice change from the standard P.I., which she refuses to label herself. If you enjoyed the movie, To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, you will see a lot of similarities of style.

This is the first book of a series (and the only one I have read)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Rhodes is a problem solver. She gets paid $20,000 to solve the problems of the rich and famous; she does it, discreetly, in two weeks or she doesn't get paid. Emma stops a kidnapping while in Brussels and lands neck deep in a mystery. Follow her as she deals with Islamic and Jewish secret organizations, fielding the amorous attentions of a local cop and multimillionaire.
Looking for #2 even as we speak.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Casebook of Emma Rhodes series. Emma is a private resolver who solves problems in two weeks for $20,000. This story is about a man in hiding from Middle Eastern zealots. Emma is hired to find killers so the hidden man can come out of hiding. Along the way Emma is almost killed twice and discovers two bodies. It is like a puzzle - putting all the pieces together. The book was a quick easy read.

[Pam]

03/12/08 bought at MOTB for author signing on 03/13/08

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I read this (some time ago) and that I thought it pretty good--but this description does not sound at all like a book I've read....

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma Rhodes: International Woman of Mystery

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

a light, fun read.