Jade's Photos: Blackmail in Grand Saline [Paperback]

Randy Rawls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2003

It's three a.m. and Arthur Conan Edwards (Ace) is in the arms of Morpheus when the phone utters its grating sounds. Johnny Nichols of Grand Saline, TX is being blackmailed because of his straying from the connubial bed. Ace accepts the case and he and his cats, Sweeper and Striker, are soon immersed in the shady dealings of Jade and Hugo, the blackmailers. He meets Mrs. Loticia Adams, Johnny's mother-in-law, the formidable matriarch of Grand Saline who informs Ace in no uncertain terms that she does not believe him qualified to handle the situation. He also meets Johnny's son who believes himself destined to lead the country.Even as Ace resolves the blackmail scheme, disaster strikes. Carsen Levitt (Kit), a female PI from Dallas and Ace's close friend, enters the case. With other personalities from Van Zandt County and Ace's previous cases, Ace and Kit face problems not normally found in simple mysteries. Is Clark's Ferry haunted? How many murders are too many? Are the cats' strange antics clues to the case? Ace and Kit find out.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Randy Rawls is a native of Williamston, NC, a small town in the northeastern part of the state. He enjoyed a career in the US Army. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Western Writers of America, he is retired in South Florida. He invites comments through his web site www.randyrawls.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (January 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059526381X
• ISBN-13: 978-0595263813
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,654,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing: "Jade's Photos: Blackmail in Grand Saline (An Ace Edwards Mystery)" by Randy Rawls, June 19, 2009

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jade's Photos: Blackmail in Grand Saline (Paperback)

For Dallas Private Investigator Arthur Conan Edwards (Ace) three in the morning is usually not a good time. His sleep is frequently interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Usually it is Jake about a case, but occasionally, it is a client in need that Jake has referred. Of course the call will make Ace grumpy, but in the end he will agree to meet the client or Jake somewhere in a few hours.

In this case, it is Johnny Nicholas who calls and he is being blackmailed over an affair he had with a beautiful woman. While his wife might look the other way, his rich and powerful mother-in-law won't. A mother-in-law who has controlled everything in his life for years and isn't going to take well seeing pictures of her son-in-law cheating on her daughter.

Before long Ace is in the middle of a blackmail case in Grand Saline, Texas. He has Kit along for backup and assistance in a case that quickly goes nasty with many suspects and several murders. Along the way in a story told primarily from the viewpoints of Ace and Kit, their relationship and his past are used to continue an ongoing secondary storyline regarding Ace's fallen love.

The result is a story that frequently alludes to earlier books in the series while constantly moving forward in a twisting case on many different paths. Relationships are a theme throughout the book both in terms of dysfunctional love and the choices one makes in loving others. This interesting twisting tale further develops Ace's character along with Kit's while providing plenty of mystery, action and a bit of Texas folklore and culture to keep readers highly entertained. Once again Randy Rawls has another strong novel in his series worth reading.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2009