A Wicked Slice

Lee Ofsted #1

by Charlotte Elkins, Aaron Elkins

Lee Ofsted has sacrificed plenty to enter the Pacific-Western Woman’s Pro-Am golf tournament. She's in just under the wire, and for some reason, her long drives keep slicing—veering sharply to the right—even though she’s hitting the ball perfectly. Then Lee discovers the body of the tour's star at the bottom of the course lake, and her own problems with golf technique pale in comparison.
Enter Lieutenant Graham Sheldon. He's charming, handsome, and determined to capture the killer—as well as Lee's heart. But the murder has triggered buried anger and petty jealousies among the players, Lee finds out just what wicked means are causing her drives to slice. And it looks like the murderer has barely begun to score...

Genres: Mystery, Sports, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Humor

181 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1989

About the author

Charlotte Elkins (born July 4, 1948) is an American author who teamed with her husband, writer Aaron Elkins, to write a series of mystery novels about Lee Ofsted, a struggling female professional golfer.

Series:
* Lee Ofsted (with Aaron Elkins)

Series contributed to:
* Malice Domestic

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little book to read featuring women's golf. It was set in region of Monterey, Ca. Golf is apparently becoming more popular during the pandemic, so this might fit the bill for enjoyable reading. It covers the competition and stress that goes into making it to pro where promotional contracts factor into making this sport rewarding financially. A well known woman golfer is killed and an up and coming golfer, Lee, becomes involved in hunting down the killer, ending in putting herself in the crosshairs.
There is romance with a certain charming policeman, so this is light reading that promises more to come.

Kindle Unlimited
[the book does need editing]

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good cozy, this one set in the world of women's professional golf.

Lee Ostfeld is having a bad golf tournament. It gets even worse when she finds the body of one of her top ranked competitors in a water hazard. The policeman in charge doesn't know anything about golf, so Ostfeld decides to help. Sparks fly, clues found.

Diverting, and gives an interesting portrait of the golf life from the perspective of a struggling participant.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is a "rabbit" on the LPGA tour. Even if you're not a golfer, the insider's view on the difficulties of making it when you're very good but lack major sponsorship will hook you. Okay, and the punnish titles are fun too.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The book set me firmly in the world of competitive golf, but I found myself skipping over the money issues and wanted more sense of why the protagonist wanted this career so much.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Lee Ofsted is a rabbit on the women's professional golf tour, counting her pennies and hopeing to just make the cut for next year. When she finds a top golfer dead in a lake in the midst of an important tournament, Lee starts her own investigation after she is suspected of the murder.

I listened to this series start on audio and was thoroughly entertained by it. Lee is a sympathetic character and the setting inside the professional golf world make this a bit different and very interesting. The audio production was well done and I really enjoyed it. Will definitely look for more in the series.

[Heidi Agner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good but I still like their art bad mysteries better

I started out reading Charlotte and Aaron's art World mystery series and thoroughly enjoyed the characters and learning about artistic forgeries. So I checked out their golf themed series. The series was written before the art series. I enjoyed the golf mystery but feel like it's not as smooth as the art series. It's still a good mystery with fun characters though.

[Vivian Monroe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlikable characters

From the start the main characters are neither I would sit down and have a beer. Both main characters are rather snarky, self absorbed and whiny. By the way saying crab cioppino is akin to saying chicken paella. The authors were clearly out of their element. Th

[Lucia Acevedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much golf

The characters are well defined and the plot is interesting, however the long descriptions of the golf tournament, the play , the scoring and selection of clubs was too much for the common reader, especially, for one not interested in golf.
The editing of the book was not good enough, there were many typographical errors

[A G A VAN DEN BOS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light hearted cozy mystery that is paced well with enough intrigue to encourage a continuance of turning pages. A few twists ensures that the drive is not always straight. Educative in providing some understanding to the world of golf and its players. What really spoils the flow of the story though is the plethora of typos.

[Denise Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read this in years...still a good read

I started reading not long after he published his first novel. Then Charlotte collaborated with Aaron on the Lee Olmsted mysteries. Amazon needs to have better copy editors. There's typing errors on this edition in spite of the note stating that it was reworked. Otherwise, enjoy.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner series for the Elkins!

I'm not very interested in golf so I skipped a few pages a few times but I enjoyed the book-plot characters and all. I hope the authors have a relationship rather like their protagonists. Wonder how they got into a good connection.

[William M. Stone III · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but ........

I enjoyed the book BUT it would have much better if someone proof-read the book for spelling errors ( he had a mouth of god like Fort Knox). There were enough to distract this reader from the story.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun character. not overly deep plot

[Sheila Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun murder mystery taking place during a ladies golf tournament.

[Martha Burke-Hennessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fun, especially I suspect if you like golf. Not too much violence, not too much intrigue, a relaxing enjoyable read.

[Michelle M · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many spelling errors that I just couldn't stand it. There is a difference between steel and steal.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I'm not a golfer, some of this mystery was a little technical for me but I liked the main character as well as the detective who has a case on her in more than one way. I will definitely try another in the series even if they are all on golf. I can always learn the terminology.

[Cat. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the usual, this is about golf, of all things. And no "Skeleton Doctor" to be found. The 'detective' is a hopeful amateur-almost-professional golfer trying to break in and earn enough prize money to actually pay her way on the tour.

In the midst of trying to figure out why her shots are suddenly slicing, she finds that one of her clubs has been switched with that of the leading pro. The major problem with that detail is that the pro was just discovered at the bottom of one of the water hazards with her head bashed in with the selfsame club.

A pretty workmanlike plot, driven by an amateur detective who is out to clear her own name. Somehow she manages not to be the obvious suspect, and somehow she figures out who the killer actually is and isn't killed herself.

I like the character, but not enough to read (or want) anymore about her.

[Nancy]

Lee Ofsted just makes the cut for the Pacific Western Woman's Pro-Am golf tournament. She's never hit the ball better � but for some reason, her drives keep slicing. But this isn't the only mystery � soon Lee discovers the body of the tour's star at the bottom of the course lake. Enter Lieutenant Graham Sheldon. He's charming, handsome, and determined to capture the killer � as well as Lee's heart. But the murder has triggered buried anger and jealousy among the players, and with a diabolical killer on the loose, Lee finds that making par is the least of her problems

Lee discovers the club she was using wasn't hers. After she gets her own back she does well in the tournament. The murderer is discovered and Lee and Graham get together.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting aspect of this book is its insider’s look at the less glamorous side of the ladies pro golf tour. Tour novice Lee Ofstead is struggling - staying at Motel 6, using hand-me-down clubs, and bumming rides from star player Kate O'Brian. When she finds Kate’s body during a tournament in Carmel, California; Detective Graham Sheldon is called in to investigate. Lee, who up to this point has been a quite attractive character, becomes simply annoying when she assumes that the detective is incompetent because he knows nothing about golf. Light and fast-moving enough for listening to in the car.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lee Ofsted is in her first year of playing professional golf. She's made the cut for a major tournament but has suddenly developed a slice. While retrieving practice balls lee finds the body of the top pro on the tour in a pond on the golf course. Enter Lieutenant Graham Sheldon. An enjoyable start to a mystery series. I would probably have enjoyed it more if I knew more about golf. I still enjoyed the budding relationship between Graham and Lee and I was rooting for Lee to do well in the tournament.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another book where I don't think the author knew how to catch the thief without making it obvious. I had no clue who it was and neither did our heroine until the bad guy tried to shoot her. I have no idea why. I hate endings that are so bad that there has to be a chapter or two afterwards to explain them. The only positive was that I do like the character; in many ways the background story was more engaging than the actual mystery.

[Louise Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, well-written cozy mystery that should appeal to golfers! Sometimes it's so pleasant to read something that's just for fun, and in the case of this book, the writing is smooth and clear, with characters I can't wait to know better. I also--even as a golfer--learned a few things I didn't know! The authors have clearly done their research, and I appreciate that. Already ordered the second novel!

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I don't like Charlotte Elkins' series as much as that of her husband, Aaron Elkins, this is a good story with likeable characters. Knowledge of golf would probably be helpful and make things more interesting, but you can enjoy the book even if you know nothing about the game.

[Galen Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the pro golf tour, and a smart little mystery. The romance aspect is a bit of a distraction, and the main character is a little too perfect, but the book is short and sweet and doesn’t disappoint.

[Tressa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wicked Slice was initially interesting and I enjoyed learning about golf. But, once I realized that Lee was terrible at investigating, I stopped reading the book.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly easy, sweet mystery. Nothing too complex or intense, typical of others I've read by the Elkins.

[Sanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few editing issues, and some stilted dialogue (do any two people REALLY use each other's name that often in a conversation??), but an engaging read. Not many clues to the perp, though.

[Darron P.Castiglione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Story, but

Please fix the typos. It really takes away from the enjoyment of reading. There were instances when I couldn''t understand a sentence. Fix the typos.

[Diana Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A WICKED SLICE has a nifty twist!

Lee Ofsted is just beginning to make a name for herself in the competitive world of professional women's golf, and this tournament may well be the one that will be her springboard to stardom--or so she hopes. But the sudden, bloody death of the top-ranking player coupled with the equally sudden appearance of a screamer of a slice in Lee's usually impeccable swing kills all her hopes. Who wanted to kill the star? And what is causing Lee's incredible run of bad luck? A WICKED SLICE takes the thread of these questions through a maze of fascinating minor characters as Lee tracks the mystery to its surprising ending.

I am not a golfer, but I found the sport, with its professional players as well as the well-heeled amateurs to be a vivid, fascinating background to the story. Lee Ofsted's character is engaging, intriguing and believable. Charlotte and Aaron Elkins have created a cast of interesting characters and a plot with some truly nifty turns. I recommend the book very highly.