Fall Guy (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

Carol Lea Benjamin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the seventh spare and elegant Rachel Alexander mystery from Shamus-winner Benjamin (This Dog for Hire, etc.), the Greenwich Village PI finds to her surprise that she's been named executor of the will of a barely known neighbor. New York City cop Tim O'Fallon shared less than a sentence with Rachel during a post-9/11 support group, where her astute side-pup, Dashiell, provided pet therapy. She remembers a brooding man who seemed little helped by Dash's talents. Rachel takes O'Fallon's accidental shooting at face value until she views the scene. Her sharp instincts, bested only by those of her hardworking dog, are aroused when she reads a cryptic note from the deceased's sister. The apathy of O'Fallon's siblings causes Alexander to look deeper into a scarring family tragedy. O'Fallon's partner, Det. Michael Brody, quietly adds steam to the story; he's one of many genuine, quirky characters who contribute to the effortless believability of this page-turner. Benjamin's expert sleight-of-hand storytelling transforms the heart of New York into an intimate village. Her quiet observations and understated prose aptly evoke the atmosphere of the recovering metropolis. Even die-hard mystery readers will keep guessing until the end.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PI Rachel Alexander is stunned to find she has been named the executor of police officer Timothy O'Fallon's estate, since she only knew the suicide victim from a series of post-9/11 pet-therapy sessions she worked with her pit bull, Dashiell. While she tries to understand O'Fallon's reasons for choosing her, Rachel begins to settle the dead man's affairs; delving into his past, however, leads her to question whether his death was really caused by suicide. Soon she has launched her own murder investigation. Numerous suspects are available, as O'Fallon had opened his home to various men who had been in trouble. Set firmly in post-9/11 New York City, this fifth in a popular series combines the appeal of its heroine--Rachel is a loner in the tradition of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone--with an absorbing plot and a cast of quirky secondary characters, including, of course, Rachel's inseparable companion, her dog, Dash. Fans of Lanier's bloodhound series will appreciate the pet-therapy and the victim recovery training details. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 310 KB
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 6, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001BZRUO2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,331 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for dog lovers, October 1, 2004

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fall Guy: A Rachel Alexander Mystery (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Susan Conant and Carol Lea Benjamin have created strong female detectives who use dog training to solve mysteries. But the resemblance ends there. Rachel Alexander is a tough New York licensed PI, not an amateur. She lives alone, without a steady boyfriend, and has a loving but realistic relationship with her dog, a pit bull named Dashiell.

Conant's Holly Winter is warm and fuzzy; Benjamin's Rachel Alexander is street-smart and tough. And while Holly Winter is unabashedly a dog fanatic, Rachel Alexander doesn't go into rhapsodies over Dashiell. He's a good dog. She's a good trainer. What else would you expect? Or put another way, you don't have to like dogs to enjoy this mystery, while enjoyment Susan Conant's books will be deepened by dog ownership. I learned that first-hand!

And as a result, Benjamin's plots tend to be edgier. Here Rachel discovers she has been named executor of a will for Timothy O'Fallon, a man she met briefly in a pet-therapy group. She agrees, suspecting that the dead man had a reason for asking her to do the job. And of course she's getting paid the customary executor's fee.

Rachel learns Tim was a cop from a family with tragedies to rival the more famous Irish family, the Kennedys. She also begins to wonder if his death really was a suicide, especially since she discovers a note from a family member, "I saw what you did." A tragic event from Tim's childhood seems to be haunting him today.

Up to the very last chapter, I was riveted by the characters, writing and plot. I loved Rachel's discussion of therapy dogs. I enjoyed her interactions with the off-beat Village people. Her encounter with Detective Michael Brody seems headed for a longer romance.

Experienced mystery readers will look for villains close to home. Trying not to spoil the plot, I'd have to say that Benjamin doesn't play by the usual detective rules of when to introduce the villain. The climactic scene -- de rigeur for modern mysteries -- seems a little forced.

If you like to go back and say, "Ah, I see where I could have guessed the ending," you'll be disappointed. But if you want a fast-paced absorbing read, and a chance to spend time in the Village with some interesting people and a delightful dog, this novel is for you. I awarded five stars because I wish I'd had this book on my last airplane ride!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, October 7, 2004

By 

Vicki L. Magnus "Vicki Magnus" (Waldorf, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fall Guy: A Rachel Alexander Mystery (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Ms. Benjamin is a gifted writer and this book is up to her always high standards. In addition to being a well written mystery, this book is the most touching account I've read about the impact of September 11th. While never overt, the devastation wrought that day, the pain and loss and change to us all are there in the background, part of the characters just as they are part of the reader. I can't recommend this book highly enough, even if mysteries are not your standard fare I urge you to make an exception for this truly exceptional work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific New York mystery, August 28, 2004

By 

a reader from Peoria "George" (Peoria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fall Guy: A Rachel Alexander Mystery (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is a terrific book. The characters are compelling, the plot complex, the pace swift. Rachel's evident professionalism is in evidence throughout, while her dog, Dash, adds another dimension to her activities. Beware, though, if you're expecting Dash to solve the crime. Fall Guy is surpringly Hard-boiled, a lot closer to Sue Grafton, then to Lillian Jackson Braun. I heartily recommend it.