Another Review at MyShelf.Com

A Case of You

by Rick Blechta



      If anyone should ask me to define the word "noir," I think I would direct them to the nearest copy of A Case of You. This story embodies all of the dark features associated with noir. Dark setting, dark characters, dark plot, and the ending... well, you’ll just have to read it.  This is one of the most compelling books that I’ve read in quite some time.

The story begins when a homeless street lady wanders into the Salamander, a Toronto Jazz club. It’s open mic night and much to the dismay of the jazz trio, the lady wants to sing. Adhering to their "anything goes" policy, they bring her onstage to have a shot at Hoagy Carmichael—Johnny Mercer’s classic "Skylark."  The mysterious lady totally captures the audience with her masterful rendition of the song but as quick as you can say, "A Star is Born" she fades back into the night.

Andy Curran, the drummer from the jazz trio, finally tracks the singer down. He finds her begging coins in a transit station and eventually convinces her to return to the club as a paid singer. The girl, Olivia Saint, is very unwilling to share much information about her personal life or her background.  Andy doesn’t pretend to understand the reasons for all of the secrecy, but he knows that Olivia is a once in a lifetime talent and an intriguing woman and that’s enough for him.

And then one night two dangerous looking men show up at the club, seize Olivia and run off into the darkness leaving Andy with a black eye and sore ribs.

It’s not considered kidnapping because Olivia seemed to go along willingly. The cops are no help to Andy so he turns to Private Investigator Shannon O’Brien.  O’Brien and her unorthodox cohort Jackie Goode are able to trace Olivia to a rehab facility in California. It’s a high security place intended for people of means. But it’s a place with a peculiar reputation and a sinister aura.  The detectives need to get inside.

As the story unfolds, it becomes known that Olivia is the wayward daughter of an extremely wealthy family with more skeletons in their closets than in the family burial plot. It seems as if Olivia has been sent to the institution to keep her out of the way... and quiet.

This book is so much more than I expected.  I can’t say enough good things about it. But there was one part that I absolutely hated.  You’ll have to read it to find out what that was.

The Book

RendezVous Crime
March 7, 2008
Paperback
978-1-894917-68-1
Fiction / Mystery
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Dennis Collins
Reviewed 2008
NOTE: Reviewer Dennis Collins is the author of The Unreal McCoy and the second installment in this series, Turn Left at September. He's also Myshelf.com's "Between the Pages" columnist, covering the mystery genre and related topics.
© 2008 MyShelf.com