Book Review: The Green-Eyed Hurricane

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Green-Eyed Hurricane     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Martin Hegwood
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator
Series: Jack Delmas # 2
St. Martin's, Jul 2000, $23.95, 288 pp.

Mississippi Gulf Coast towns resembled the old Atlantic City with the boardwalks filled with carnival rides, food kiosks, and souvenir shops. As with Atlantic City, the casinos moved in to replace the old. In Point Cadet, rumors fly that someone wants to build a casino there. A realtor begins to purchase property to resell at a gigantic profit, adding substance to the scuttlebutt. Mr. Casper Perinovich remains one of the last holdouts. His refusal to sell threatens the entire deal.

Jack Delmas of Delmas Investigations immensely respects Mr. Cass, treating the elderly man as a second father. They go shrimping together, which allows Jack to observe that many people seem to dislike his companion. The next day, Mr. Cass dies in an explosion. His niece Sheila hires Jack to learn if the fire was an unfortunate accident or whether someone murdered her uncle over the property.

Although this tale takes place in Biloxi, there seems to be a Big Easy ambiance to the plot that augments the overall atmosphere. Martin Hegwood has created a likable, but quite befuddled character. Jack manages to complete the job even if he travels on a circuitous, detoured filled route. A GREEN-EYED HURRICANE is a fun reading experience that needs a warning label of not to be read during hurricane season. Genre enthusiasts would welcome further novels starring Jack and his search for a real girlfriend.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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