Customer Reviews

Deadly Illusions (Greg McKenzie Mysteries) (Greg Mckenzie Mysteries S.)

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Chester Campbell has created a unique blend of sleuthing with the Greg McKenzie series. In this installment, McKenzie, retired from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and former investigator for the Nashville DA's office, has opened an investigative firm with his wife Jill. While investigating the disappearance of funds from a popular restaurant chain, they agree to take on a case for Molly Saint, who asks for a background check on her husband Damon. When Molly mysteriously disappears, Greg and Jill try to track her whereabouts, which leads to entanglement with contract killers tied to the murder of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The McKenzie duo is a fresh addition to the mystery genre. An older couple, Greg and Jill complement each other personally and professionally and make for good reading. Campbell writes in an engaging style, delivering a mystery that twists and turns throughout the book. A compelling read.

I MET AND BOUGHT CHESTER CAMPBELLS SECRET OF THE SCROLL AND LOVED IT, SO I IMMEDIATELY BOUGHT A COPY DEADLY ILLUSIONS. BEING BORN IN NASHVILLE AND RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE, I REALLY ENJOYED THE MYSTERY THAT SEEM TO COME ALIVE. CHESTER HAS A WONDERFUL STYLE THAT LETS YOU STEP INTO THE PAGE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO LOVES A MYSTERY! KEEP IT UP CHESTER!!!!

In DEADLY ILLUSIONS, Greg and Jill McKenzie have opened McKenzie Investigations, not without trepidation. Can they make this a successful business without pursing domestic disputes and photo-jumping hot pant spouses? Their first case doesn't look promising. Molly Saint, a hottie despite her name, wants our dynamic duo to do a background investigation on her husband,a dark, secretive guy she married without much forethought or background info. She fears Damon may be violent, and she doesn't know what he does or where his money comes from. Damon told her he was a former Special Forces operative, and he claims to do occasional favors for his military buddies. But beyond that, Molly says the guy is a question mark, with a personality becoming more aggressive, violent even. She fears he may kill her.

Greg wants to decline, thinks this may be a hot pants ride, but Jill sets him straight: They need to pay the rent.

And so it begins. Routinely...until Molly disappears. No trace. Just a message that she finally got a look at Damon's basement workshop, and she's terrified. The McKenzies fear the worst. They search the house. Swept clean. But the basement looks like a meth lab. Was Damon a meth'er? Need the cops now. But then the house is torched, all trace evidence gone. Nothing left but a slip of paper with some phone numbers.

Who is this guy, Damon Saint? And why doesn't he have any bank accounts? Is Molly alive? Why did Damon flee a thriving business in Indiana without notice? Where does he get his money? Is he really Damon Saint, or just someone posing as him? Greg and Jill probe deeper and somebody gets offended. Threats, their office is trashed, their home vandalized.

Meanwhile, as if nothing else is going on, the Fed Reserve Chairman is murdered, almost in front of the McKenzies. A black man was seen running away. The feds and locals suspect the wrong man, but the McKenzie's find a witness who can clear him. The witness is murdered.

Greg and Jill find the dilapidated farmhouse where Damon was raised. There's a shovel, some signs of recent occupation. Is Molly buried here?

Not gonna say much more, because I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say, this is the best of the series, a real humdinger. Chester has developed Greg and Jill into intriguing characters with smarts, wit, grace and charm. But don't take these folks lightly: They're serious investigators and carry serious weapons -- they're not afraid to use them

Greg and Jill McKenzie have opened an investigations firm and are working cases together. In walks Molly Saint. She wants them to look into her husband's past. The McKenzie's, especially Greg, are initially skeptical about taking this case. Molly has been married to Damon Saint for five years. But, Jill has a feeling that something isn't right and convinces Greg to do some preliminary investigations. If they don't find anything alarming, they will stop.

They are already working for Leisure Foods Group investigating missing funds from a King Cole specialty restaurant. Jill goes undercover as hostess in the restaurant. Greg gets friends to eat there so that they can determine if the money they pay to the restaurant is actually accounted for in the deposit the next day.

The day they met with Mr. Logan from Leisure Foods Group in the Opryworld Hotel, Dr. Elliott Bernstein, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, was gunned down at the hotel. Since Greg used to be an investigator for the DA's office, he knows some officers. But since he left that job after some comments he made about Detective Mark Tremaine ended up in the newspaper, he doesn't get along with many of the officers. The one officer that is still his friend is Detective Phil Adamson.

Once Molly disappears, the McKenzie's begin to delve deeply into Damon's background. They never lose sight of their other cases, but this one has become priority.

The Greg McKenzie series is fast becoming one of my all-time favorite series. Mr. Campbell has a great way of telling a story while weaving the various cases that Greg and Jill are working on. I find his characters to be very believable. I like that they don't just center on one case. That's not how it is in real life.

I like the Nashville setting. And the fact that Jill is a pilot and owns a Cessna allows them to travel to gain additional information and not lose much time.

The only complaint I'd have is that they turn off their cell phone too much, especially during important cases. But, since they are older, this is still believable

I can't wait to read the next Greg McKenzie mystery. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Chester D. Campbell, former journalist, writer, speechwriter, ad copywriter, public relations executive, and now mystery writer, is someone with an obvious zest for life. He served in both World War II and Korea, and now enjoys life with his wife, children, and many grandchildren.

In this latest Greg McKenzie mystery, the newly formed McKenzie Investigations, run by Greg and his wife, Jill, is off to an auspicious beginning after solving their first case. Greg has run a bit amok with the local police, but still has contacts in the Nashville Police Department. But when a high profile personality is gunned down in a local hotel just when Greg and Jill are dining a new client, they have no idea that their next case will be integrally connected. In the meantime, they take on a case for a questionable character named Molly Saint who is a shirttail relative of Jill's. Molly's husband, Damon, is not quite who he seems, and Molly has a nagging feeling that she may be at risk:

"'As I told you on the phone, Damon's wife Molly hired us to look into him. He had made some threats that were quite worrisome. But before we could get very far with our investigation, she left a message on our answering machine to call her back as soon as possible. She was really excited about something. But when we tried to call, we found they had moved.'"

Chester D. Campbell has his own unique style of writing that is both dashing and touching. His obvious affection for his wife shines through just as he outlines a nefarious plot based on his own military experience. Greg McKenzie is a senior investigator who relies on his experience to compensate for the brawn he might have engaged in the past. His wife, Jill, is an accomplished pilot, cook, and is the perfect partner for her husband. Campbell juxtaposes her correction of Greg's "blue language" and her obvious spirituality with her determination when the going gets rough and she has to use some of the private investigator skills that most people would shrink from. All in all, DEADLY ILLUSIONS is another winner in the Chester D. Campbell literary cabinet. Campbell obviously has many stories to share, and he continues to write fabulous mysteries.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Chester D. Campbell, former journalist, writer, speechwriter, ad copywriter, public relations executive, and now mystery writer, is someone with an obvious zest for life. He served in both World War II and Korea, and now enjoys life with his wife, children, and many grandchildren.

In this latest Greg McKenzie mystery, the newly formed McKenzie Investigations, run by Greg and his wife, Jill, is off to an auspicious beginning after solving their first case. Greg has run a bit amok with the local police, but still has contacts in the Nashville Police Department. But when a high profile personality is gunned down in a local hotel just when Greg and Jill are dining a new client, they have no idea that their next case will be integrally connected. In the meantime, they take on a case for a questionable character named Molly Saint who is a shirttail relative of Jill's. Molly's husband, Damon, is not quite who he seems, and Molly has a nagging feeling that she may be at risk:

"'As I told you on the phone, Damon's wife Molly hired us to look into him. He had made some threats that were quite worrisome. But before we could get very far with our investigation, she left a message on our answering machine to call her back as soon as possible. She was really excited about something. But when we tried to call, we found they had moved.'"

Chester D. Campbell has his own unique style of writing that is both dashing and touching. His obvious affection for his wife shines through just as he outlines a nefarious plot based on his own military experience. Greg McKenzie is a senior investigator who relies on his experience to compensate for the brawn he might have engaged in the past. His wife, Jill, is an accomplished pilot, cook, and is the perfect partner for her husband. Campbell juxtaposes her correction of Greg's "blue language" and her obvious spirituality with her determination when the going gets rough and she has to use some of the private investigator skills that most people would shrink from. All in all, DEADLY ILLUSIONS is another winner in the Chester D. Campbell literary cabinet. Campbell obviously has many stories to share, and he continues to write fabulous mysteries.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Title - Deadly Illusions
Author- Chester D. Campbell
Publisher - Durban House Publishing Co.
Publishing Date - May 2005
ISBN - 1-930754-65-5
Pages -261

A woman named Molly comes to the office of Greg and
Jill McKenzie fearing for her safety and asks them to
do a background check on her husband. When Molly
disappears, Greg and Jill are drawn into a web of
illusions where nothing appears to be what it seems at
first.

Chester Campbell has written a fine mystery with many
twists that keep you turning the pages and wanting to
see what happens next. Jill and Greg complement each
other, each bringing their own unique gifts for
detecting and working
well together as a husband and wife team. The plot is
fast moving with convincing characters. Campbell's
eye for detail
enhances the story and gives the reader a sense of
being there.

This is the third book in the series and the first
book I have read. I will be looking for the first
two. I highly recommend this book.

Lillian Porter

This recently released third book in the series find Greg and Jill making things official by having opened their own private detective agency, McKenzie Investigations. While their office in a strip shopping center on the east side of Nashville, Tennessee is modest, it suits their purposes fine. It is there where they meet a walk in client by the name of Molly Saint.

Molly has a problem with her husband, Damon Saint. She does not really know the man even after several years of marriage. He never told her much about his past beyond the fact that he was a Vietnam vet and that he claimed to have done some sort of covert operations on behalf of the Government. Then there is the shadowy group he says he belongs to that consists of a number of former vets who occasionally need his help. While there were a lot of things she didn't know about him, or why he forbade her to go into the basement of their home for any reason, what has her concerned now is that his behavior has changed in recent weeks. While nothing has actually happened, she feels threatened by him. Greg does not really feel anything is going on but since Jill is concerned, they take the case.

Molly soon vanishes and as the McKenzies dig into Damon Saint's background while they look for her, it begins to look like she was right and her disappearance might have been foul play. At the same time, they are working a case of financial fraud at a local restaurant and Greg might have figured out who fired the fatal shot that took down the Federal Reserve Chairman at a local hotel. In short, the McKenzies have their hands full before Damon begins to get seriously annoyed with their snooping.

Picking up a short period after the very enjoyable "Designed To Kill" this book continues the author's track record of strong writing, realistic characters and complex mysteries that makes this series so good. Greg and Jill are a very realistic pairing, especially to those readers that have been married quite a few years. The mysteries are always complex and twisting, and this one is no exception.

While this novel could be read as a stand alone, due to the frequent allusions and explanations of the earlier books in the series, it would be best to read them in order. Therefore, start with "Secret Of The Scroll" which introduces the McKenzies and others and then follow it with "Designed to Kill" which will lead you right up to this novel. Regardless of what you do, enjoy these, as this is one author a reader can count on.
[...]

This was an excellent book and I should tell you exactly what I found so compelling, but it wasn't the plot or the little details that a lot of writers hang onto. The writing was flawless. It had nothing to do with the mystery or the grammar that made me so interested. It was the details. The characters and the dialogue was so realistic that it felt like they could come off the page at any moment. It was set in the town of Nashville, Tn and I can tell for a fact that his details of the city were accurate.

Deadly Illusions was a great book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Missy Lyons
Romance and Erotica author
www.missylyons.com