Customer Reviews

Dearly Departed (Holland Taylor Mystery)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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As with PENANCE and PRACTICE TO DECEIVE, Holland remains a fabulous detective whose insolent, running narrative spices up DEARLY DEPARTED. The story line engages the reader when it focuses on the lead protagonist's investigation into the life of Alison. However, moral preaching on drugs and the casino business, leads to disjointed moments that occasionally overwhelm the jocularity that Holland provides the audience. Still, David Housewright continues to provide readers with an entertaining, lighthearted series that deserves fan attention.

This the third novel in the author's series about private investigator Holland Taylor, and the best so far. While some people prefer to read a series in order, these can be read as stand alone novels. Like Sherlock Holmes and other good series, each is an entirely separate case. This novel is a fast paced mystery that is hard to put down. It kept me up late.

Holland is hired to investigate the disappearance of a woman seven months earlier. The door to their house was standing open when her husband arrived, and she was gone with nothing but the clothes on her back. Foul play is suspected. There is a list of suspects including her husband (who is trying to collect on a life insurance policy) and former co-workers. She was young, pretty, and extremely intelligent.

As the investigation proceeds, it goes through twists and turns, right up to the last page. Every time you think you know the solution, there is another twist. I was reminded of an old song refrain, "Never, never trust a woman. You'll be sorry if you do." There are a lot of sleazy people involved. One has to wonder at the end if everyone really got what they deserved.

This is the first of the series that i read, and I thought it was exceptional. (I agree, however, with the reviewer who disliked the virulent anti-marijuana preaching). The best feature is a plot that keeps moving and twisting. The characters held my interest. Looking forward to more.

A twisted and satisfying story is what you'll find in the last book in the Holland Taylor series. Housewright leaves very subtle clues scattered throughout his writings. Subtle, but fair. This book was a joy to ease me through a summer's day.
Enjoy!!!

I totally love Mr. housewrights books. The story is smooth and almost impossible to put down even to go cook dinner, and he tricks me everytime! I never guess the ending, he's just a perfect mystery writer.

I like David Housewright's writing. He's a careful, easygoing voice with a dry wit and memorable characters, and his protagonists are fun and engaging. In this current installment, Holland Taylor, Housewright's first protagonist, is hired by an old nemesis. The nemesis is a particularly sleazy lawyer named Howard Truman. Howard wants Holland to discover who killed his client's wife, or failing that at least find the body of the deceased.

Holland wanders off investigating, and runs across several interesting characters. The action moves to a small town outside of the big city, and from there things get very interesting and pretty amusing. The plot gets a bit complicated, but overall it's about what a detective novel like this should have. I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it.

Housewright is a very recent addition to my collection and am I glad found him. His books have great characters, dialogue and sense of place. Truman isn't the biggest, strongest or best-looking detective of the genre. But he is smart, determined and ethical, which personally appeals to me. This book has twists I didn't expect, right up to the very end. Housewright is well worth reading.

David Housewright has yet to take a false step in this series. Dearly Departed is every bit as convoluted and entertaining as the previous two books. First-person narratives are always tricky, but Housewright manages to make Holland Taylor sensitive but not maudlin, droll, and very human.

This search for a supposedly dead woman takes the reader to some very interesting places and introduces us to a cast of entirely believable characters. The reader's curiosity equals that of the hero, as Housewright's Holland becomes fascinated by the missing woman and seeks to unravel the mystery of what became of her.

A first-rate book in a fine series.