Cool in Tucson (Sarah Burke Mysteries) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Gunn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sarah Burke Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1, 2008

From the author of the Jake Hines series - Ambitious Tucson police detective Sarah Burke, still smarting from a painful divorce, tries to concentrate on a body found in a parking lot. The case takes a bizarre turn when Sarahs young niece, neglected by her substance-abusing mother, disappears. The search is complicated by interference from the drug ring the suspected murderers been working for, and Sarahs romantic interest in a troubled colleague rebuilding his life after injury . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This promising first of a new series from Gunn (McCafferty's Nine and eight other Jake Hines police procedurals) introduces Sarah Burke, a newly minted Tucson, Ariz., homicide detective. When a jogger discovers a stabbing victim, Sarah's investigative team works diligently to uncover the man's identity. Meanwhile, Sarah, who's still recovering from a painful divorce, tries to cope with her sister's reckless behavior, which results in the kidnapping of her sister's young daughter, Denny. Gunn cleverly connects Denny's abduction to the stabbing and other mysterious murders, ratcheting up the suspense as sinister characters close in on Sarah's loved ones. Just when the outcome of the novel appears predictable, Gunn puts an inventive spin on the murders that leads to a surprising conclusion. Though descriptions of the Tucson area may be too detailed for some, the novel's fast pace and smooth plotting more than compensate. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Building on the success of her popular Jake Hines mysteries, Gunn offers a new series, this one featuring Tucson police detective Sarah Burke. Smart, ambitious Sarah has progressed up the ranks to detective grade, with her eye firmly on her boss’ job. But right now, she has to crack one very nasty murder case—the stabbing death of a dealer associated with one of Tucson’s deadliest drug lords. As she digs deeper, Sarah realizes there’s something decidedly odd about the dead man—unlike most dealers, he was a clean-living guy who didn’t drink or use drugs. As Sarah tries to find the killer, she deals with troubling personal issues (always a good way to provide backstory): an alcoholic sister, a neglected niece, and her own bitter divorce. But these pale when the niece is kidnapped, and Sarah determines that it’s related to the murder case. Sarah isn’t a particularly groundbreaking heroine, but she fits firmly into the vulnerable-but-tough-minded female-sleuth mold created by Muller, Grafton, and Paretsky; as such, she will appeal to fans of those gold-standard authors. --Emily Melton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847510388
• ISBN-13: 978-1847510389
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything fell into place: setting, plot and a marvelous cast of characters, December 26, 2010

By 

Cathy G. Cole (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cool in Tucson (Sarah Burke Mysteries) (Paperback)

First Line: Didn't even plan it or nothin', Hector thought happily, heading east on I-10, and look how good it turned out.

After a nasty divorce, homicide detective Sarah Burke has been concentrating as much as she can on her job. She's ambitious and has her eye on her boss's job-- which may not be a good thing since her boss has been acting very strangely around her.

That all gets put in her rearview mirror when an early morning jogger trips over the body of a man who's been stabbed to death. Priority is placed on the identity of the victim, and when it's learned that he sold drugs, this fact almost raises more questions than it answers. You see, the victim was a very private, very clean living man who didn't drink, smoke, or partake of his product.

While trying to track down the killer, Sarah also has to deal with some personal issues in the form of a younger sister who goes in and out of substance abuse centers as though they all have revolving doors and her sister's neglected little daughter. All this pales into insignificance when Sarah's niece is kidnapped and Sarah learns that the kidnapping is linked to her murder case.

Reading this book was one of those serendipitous moments when everything fell into place: plot, characters, setting. I enjoyed the Tucson setting, although readers not familiar with the area may feel that Gunn names a few too many streets. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, Gunn put an interesting spin on the murders that made the conclusion a surprise.

What really made the read for me were Gunn's characters: Hector, the gofer for the local druglord who wasn't nearly as smart as he thought he was; Sarah, working her way through minefields at home and at work; Sarah's sister Janine who never met an excuse she couldn't use to her own advantage; and rising head and shoulders above them all-- Sarah's ten-year-old niece Denny, a wise old soul who's had to learn how to get money for food, launder her clothes, get herself to school, and dodge her mother and the endless round of boyfriends when they're on their latest bender. All the characters-- even secondary ones--came to life for me as I read, but I wanted to grab Denny and take her home with me.

In Sarah Burke, Gunn has created a tough-yet-vulnerable female in the mold of characters brought to life by Muller, Grafton and Paretsky. After having such a wonderful reading experience with Cool in Tucson, I know I'll be looking for the rest of the books in this series.