Saturday, April 5, 2008

The Unkindest Cut-Honor Hartman

The Unkindest Cut
Honor Hartman
Obsidian, Jun 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451224361

After her husband died in a car accident, Emma Diamond needed a year to recover, but now she is beginning to get her act back together as she meets with her best friends and neighbors Marylou Lockridge and Sophie Parker. All three are avid bridge players and look forward to a retreat in Texas Hill Country. Marylou’s friend Paula was with the threesome when they decided to go on the bridge retreat; she has a hidden agenda for joining the as she wants to divorce her suspicious husband Avery Trowbridge to remarry her first spouse Basil Dumont.

Avery’s room at the retreat is next door to that of the three pals. When Emma passes by his room she notices the door open; she glances inside as walks by and sees a guy sitting in a chair holding a card with a knife in his chest. Avery is dead. Many people disliked Avery including his first wife, the son he ignores, his former agent he fired, the receptionist at the retreat who loves him and especially Paula who Emma and her two buddies heard screaming she wanted him dead. Emma starts snooping hoping to eliminate suspects until one is left standing while wondering what his holding the queen of hearts means.

Bridge players and amateur sleuth fans will find the UNKINDEST CUT a riveting mystery. The protagonist has come a long way in the six months since her performance ON THE SLAM as she still grieves and has difficult coping moments when she misses her beloved spouse, but it is her knowledge that her husband would expect her to move on that enables her to do so. The support cast is quirky with bridge being nirvana while the whodunit is fun to follow although Emma has no reason to sleuth (the amateur sleuth bane). Still Honor Hartman writes an engaging amusing mystery as Emma tries to trump a killer.

Harriet Klausner

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