Deadly Stuff Players

by Flo Anthony

From Hollywood’s hottest nightclubs to the boardrooms behind the scenes, the trendiest restaurants to the bedrooms of the biggest stars—it’s all here in a steamy murder mystery from the celebrity journalist who knows the entertainment world better than anyone.Valerie, the most popular African American gossip columnist in the United States, and NFL Hall of Famer Rome Nyland are the go-to team for solving Hollywood mysteries. When Andrea Dumas, wife of billionaire Victor Dumas, is found murdered in a sports bar, suspicions arise. Now someone is threating their son, jockey Vance Dumas. Roshonda Rhodes, a former hooker rumored to have a sex tape with Vance, was allegedly seen fleeing the sports bar the night of the murder. Did she kill Andrea? Or did drug-addicted Jermonna Bradley do it? Valerie and Rome are hard on the case, determined to get to the bottom of it before the killer strikes again. The woman who knows the entertainment world inside and out, celebrity journalist Flo Anthony has woven this wild tale with so many twists and turns you won’t be able to put it down.

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2013

Reviews

[The Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely a piece of fiction. While Author Flo Anthony had some interesting twists and turns in her debut novel, it was so underdeveloped and unrealistic that it was an extremely difficult and frustrating read. In the novel, Valerie and Rome are hired to solve a murder mystery for a wealthy client. Valerie is supposed to be financially secure, but throughout the novel it seemed Author Anthony kept eluding that she needed money, which was confusing to me.

I did enjoy the not knowing aspect. When I thought, I figured out the murderer, Author Anthony gave you just a tidbit to throw you off track. But, plots and/or thoughts were left unfinished. At times, there was just too much going on. I had questions, but before they were answered, the storyline changed. One of the characters, Mr. Dumas, is extremely wealthy, and he had no problem in displaying that; however, it was unrealistic to give a large sum of money ($5,000) for insignificant and minute pieces of information.

The discrepancies and inconsistencies were so frequent that it was hard to focus on the crime investigations. Who removes a body from a crime scene without an investigation? Every time, the characters went somewhere names of celebrities were listed. Although Valerie is a celebrity gossip columnist, the interaction with these celebrities sometimes did not provide any additional information, and their presence just seemed to be filler information for me. I found myself asking – what did that have to do with the novel? Also, every time a meal was prepared or shared, the entire menu was listed. This became annoying to me as a reader. On a few occasions, there was information presented when it was not previously introduced to the reader, and I had to re-read passages because it did not make sense.

2 Stars

Carmela


Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a Free ARC Copy of this book. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review. Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review your book.

[OOSA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets in the Shadows

Valerie Rollins is a gossip columnist. Rome Nyland is an ex NFL player turned private investigator. These two are good friends and together they are a force to reckon with. They team up to work on a case centered around the billionaire Victor Dumas. This will be a mystery with plenty of twists.

This was Anthony's debut novel. It was hard to follow making it a difficult read for me. There were numerous inconsistencies. Val's wealth was mentioned a time or two but readers will find themselves wondering. I was bothered with celebrities mentioned and not being pertinent to the storyline. The story came off as unrealistic. The one thing I did enjoy were the twists.

Reviewed by: Jas

[Michael Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I need to enter the world of African American billionaires with issues. This was a slick read with wealth and fashion couture all the way through. The high stakes horse racing world was prominent. There was also rampant drug use by a character along with its deadly consequences. Love wins in the end. This was preceeded by a string of murders and intrigue.