Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP... An Excellent "Whodunit" !!, August 30, 2005
This review is from: The Company You Keep (Paperback)
The Company You Keep is the story of Kendra Clayton, a 28-year-old part-time Hostess and GED instructor who lives in the sleepy college town of Willow, Ohio. Her life is nice and quiet (even a bit boring). Her best friend Bernie is involved with a shady ladies man by the name of Jordan Wallace. Bernie confides to Kendra that she is sick of Jordan's cheating ways, and is ready to get rid of him. (This makes Kendra happy). Bernie wants to run up on Jordan and confront him, but instead, she finds him brutally murdered on her property. She doesn't call the police first, but calls her best friend Kendra instead. As a result, both Kendra and Bernie become suspects in the murder of Jordan Wallace. Kendra, in an effort to clear herself and her best friend as suspects, turns "amateur sleuth" and does a little private investigating of her own. And she finds out that there is more to Jordan's past and shady lifestyle than meets this eye. The story goes on from there...
This book was an excellent, classic "whodunit". I thought at first, since this book is a little over 200 pages, that there would be a couple of suspects and that's it. But with each chapter, the list of suspects gets longer and longer. I mean, this book could have easily been 400 pages. Easily. I am mesmerized at how the author could fit such a large amount of detail in such a short book, complete with engaging backstories and flashbacks. Now that made this book a great page turner. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to see who indeed killed Jordan Wallace.
On top of that, the author weaved a few interesting subplots (Kendra's love interests, Kendra's relationship with her mother and neighbors, etc., etc.) very nicely and delicately into the main plot, without overshadowing the main plot. And on top of that, there were so many crazy and unexpected twists and turns in the book!! I LOVED that about this book!!
And I really liked Kendra Clayton. She was a classic homegirl, with all the day-to-day needs, worries, and concerns as the girl next door. Quite realistic indeed!!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you are looking for a quick, engaging and fun read, and if you are a fan of good mystery... this book is for you!!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Stuff!, May 20, 2005
This review is from: The Company You Keep (Paperback)
Part-time teacher Kendra Clayton is thrilled when she hears that her friend Bernie is ready to get rid of her cheating, good-for-nothing boyfriend Jordan. But then Jordan gets himself murdered and the police cast a suspicious eye not only in Bernie's direction but Kendra's as well, forcing her to turn sleuth to clear their names. Along the way, Kendra discovers secrets about someone she thought she knew, meets a man that ignites both her interest and her suspicions, and becomes a target herself. This was such a fun read! Kendra is sassy and sarcastic and the secondary characters are well developed and believable. Angela Henry is a writer to watch.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid Debut, October 2, 2006
This review is from: The Company You Keep (Paperback)
Attention all amateur sleuths, there's a new girl in town in Angela Henry's debut mystery, The Company You Keep. Twenty-eight-year-old Kendra Clayton is your average sister next door. She's making ends meet by working part-time as a GED teacher and putting in hours as a hostess at her uncle's restaurant. She's down to earth, laid back and a little nosy by nature. So when her friend Bernie's boyfriend turns up dead, Kendra, of course, is curious about who did it.
It all happened so quickly. Bernie is left stranded at work because her no-good boyfriend Jordan neglects to pick her up and he has her car. Bernie asks Kendra for a ride home and she obliges. However, while en route, Bernie asks that Kendra take her to her old house, a house that she now rents out to Vanessa Brumfield, whom she suspects is having an affair with Jordan. Reluctantly, Kendra drops Bernie off at the old house. Sure enough, Bernie's Lexus is parked outside, but Kendra does not wait around to see the drama unfold. Shortly thereafter Kendra receives a phone call from a sobbing Bernie, who says she found Jordan... dead.
Kendra jumps into her car and rushes back to get Bernie. Full of curiosity, Kendra checks out the crime scene and sees Jordan's head has been brutally bashed. Did Bernie actually kill Jordan, perhaps in a fit of rage? The police seem to think so. And why did Bernie not tell the police that she knew Jordan was cheating with Vanessa? Interestingly, Vanessa, who lives in the house, is nowhere to be found. Did she kill her lover? If so, why? These questions and more trigger Kendra's quest for answers.
As she conducts her amateur investigation, secrets of the past are revealed, which create a more tangled web of potential suspects. To make matters worse, police detectives keep questioning Kendra as if she herself is a suspect. Although she never liked Jordan, she is determined to find out who killed him and clear Bernie's name as well as her own, all while dodging danger.
The Company You Keep is a solid debut effort. It's not a heart-stopping thrill ride full of intrigue, but a fun little mystery with just enough twists to make it enjoyable. While the author does an admirable job of developing a maze of motives and means, some parts of the book seem unbelievable. For instance, most police detectives are not at all willing to share details of an ongoing investigation with a civilian, particularly one who may be a suspect. Other parts of the book were too coincidental, but all in all, this is a good "whodunit". I look forward to seeing this author's growth in the next installment of the Kendra Clayton series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
