Customer Reviews

The Little Death

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Little Death by P.J. Parrish
The newest Louis Kincaid book out now! I got a sneak peak, and wow what a ride! Mel has a friend in Palm Beach that needs help. He's accused of killing his boyfriend. Mel takes Louis along to help figure out who really did it. The mystery is soon complicated by more bodies, many more suspects and very un-accommodating law enforcement. They do have one cop that is willing to help, Lt. Swann, and I hope we haven't seen the last of him. He was a great character. There are quirky rich women, irate husbands, illegal aliens, cowboys, an actual sex scene for Louis, and so much more. This has a mystery that will keep you guessing to the end and the ending will floor you! This is an outstanding mystery that you won't be able to put down. The Parrish sisters are on a roll and keep getting better and better. Put this on your list of MUST READS! Best book of 2010!

I love PJ Parrish books, however this one didn't thrill me in the same way previous one's have. Started off fairly well, slowed down way too much in the middle for my taste and the end picked up in a chaotic frezny. I just wasn't all that impressed. But I am anxious to see what Louis does in his next adventure! And I would love to read the sequel to A Thousand Bones. I hope that comes out soon!

I've read all of the Louis series by PJ Parrish & was really excited to have another come out earlier this month. But I found it to be a bit short of the usual stories/adventure that previous books have showcased. It did start out quite slow, got slower & then ended rather abruptly. I found that Mel's relationship with the barmaid was not developed enough (at all) and now Louis wants to be a cop again. Please make up your mind. Cop or PI.

I will likely read the next one though, hoping that he heads back north to Joe & tries to make it there.

I've read every P.J. Parrish novel and really enjoyed each one, until now. This story just didn't work for me, especially the ending. IMO, this story was too slow and lacked suspense. I was bored. I've read each book in order and I was totally surprised there was no mention of Louis' daughter from the last novel, South of Hell. All this being said, I still look forward to what comes next with Louis Kincaid.

This book was extremely disappointing! The entire book was slow and definitely out of character from the other P.J. Parrish novels I have read. It lacked excitement, suspense, a realistic plot and intriguing characters. It was the worst novel P.J. Parrish has written. I have enjoyed all of their other books, but this one was a flop! It was thrown together with no creativity and lacked a since of direction. Mel did not have a significant role in the story, and Louis Kincaid should either be a private investigator or a police officer. The clues that brought the story to an end were very weak and lacked any substance. The book leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions. I am hopeful the next novel with go in a totally new direction. It would be exciting to have Louis' daughter be an intricate part of the next mystery he solves. Please make it good the next time! These books take you into a world that you never want to experience yourself, but enjoy reading about.

I really enjoy the PJ Parrish series about Louis Kincaid, but this one fell flat for me. It seemed unlinked to any of the other novels, & wasn't very interesting to me. It had potential to be, but read more like a romance than a crime novel to me. I'll read the next one, & hope he heads back north & deals with Jo, or his daughter is brought into the story. I would even be ok with another novel about Jo, or even a novel with backstory on Mel.
There is nothing really bad with this novel, but nothing good either. I wish I hadn't paid so much money for it. I was just so excited to see a new novel by Parrish.

The latest Louis Kinkaid novel finds him in Florida as a favor to his friend Mel.
The story revolves around the well heeled society folks who visit Palm Beach for the season. A small group has a boy toy entertain them each year. Unfortunately the toys meet with unpleasant ends.
Parrish writes having her characters well described & very well developed. The book has a bit of a different mystery plot & her characters interact well

The Little Death blends sex and death and tells of a South Florida detective who is plunged into a dangerous homicide case, helping the prime suspect - an aging male walker - establish his innocence in what appears to be a cut-and-dried case. A fine saga evolves in a read recommended for mystery and thriller readers alike.

P. J. Parrish is two of the best mystery writers you will ever read. Parrish --- the collaborative name for sisters Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols --- owes me a night of sleep that I will never get back. I started their new novel late one evening and could not relinquish it until I read the final paragraph.

THE LITTLE DEATH is the latest installment in the award-winning Louis Kincaid series. Set in the late 1980s, when DNA testing was an extremely expensive forensic tool and cell phones were better known as "car phones" --- if they were known at all --- you have probably missed this fine series of novels if you limit yourself to purchasing hardcover books. Parrish is more than worth making the switch to paperbacks; this is a series of treasures worth breaking your rule.

Kincaid is an ex-cop turned private investigator after being summarily drummed off the force. Mel Landeta is his partner, another ex-law enforcement officer forced to leave due to rapidly deteriorating vision. THE LITTLE DEATH brings both men from their familiar environs in Fort Myers, Florida, to Palm Beach, across the state and a world away. Reggie Kent, an old acquaintance of Landeta's, has been accused of murdering Mark Durand, a "walker" who escorted wealthy women in the city at social soirees. Durand was Kent's protégé, sharing his home and possibly more.

When Durand's headless body is found in an isolated area adjoining the Archer cattle ranch, Kent is the only suspect in whom Barberry, the local sheriff, is interested. Durand and Kent had a very public quarrel shortly before Durand was murdered, and evidence that appears to link Kent to the crime is found in the home that they shared. Kincaid and Landeta soon find themselves shoveling water uphill, as far as their investigation is concerned. They discover that Palm Beach is a place that holds its secrets dear and where appearance is to be preserved above all else.

But when a local matron chooses loyalty to her friend, Kent, over local custom, it provides a thread, however slender, for Kincaid and Landeta to pull in an attempt to unravel the case that is quickly wrapping around Kent. Aided by Starr, a Palm Beach cop with issues of his own, they uncover two similar, unsolved murders from the past that appear to have ties to the Archer Ranch. The men become convinced that a serial killer is operating in the area; the sheriff, however, is sure of Kent's guilt, leaving it to Kincaid and Landeta to apply what pressure they can to learn the truth. In a dramatic, deadly conclusion where the truth is at long last revealed (at least to some), not all are left unscathed.

Although part of a series, THE LITTLE DEATH stands just fine on its own. There are a number of issues that remain unresolved at the end of the book, not the least of which is Kincaid and Landeta's increasingly prickly relationship, Landeta's vision problems, and Kincaid's future vocational and romantic aspirations. There are also a couple of loose ends to the Palm Beach investigation that may or may not provide fodder for future novels. THE LITTLE DEATH is a great mystery that's well plotted and superbly told. The best part, however, is the characterization. Both Kincaid and Landeta are wonderfully rough-edged, so it's no wonder that low sparks occasionally fly between them; yet it is Kent who is riveting here. While he is not a common character by any means, everyone knows a Kent --- a man not entirely comfortable with himself who somehow finds a quiet niche that is all too easily disturbed.

Should Parrish so choose, Kincaid could find fertile and fascinating ground for a return trip to the area, his general distaste for it not withstanding. Future installments of the series will reveal if this occurs; in the meantime, we have THE LITTLE DEATH, which is not to be missed.

The Little Death by P.J. Parrish

I'm not so sure this shouldn't be classified as scifi or fantasy. If Palm Beach is populated by such a crazed cast, they would fit right into a classic Star Trek adventure. Louis Kincaid is a former cop who now is a P.I. His friend Mel talks him into going to Palm Beach to help a friend who is in trouble. Much to his surprise Louis finds himself emotionally involved in a case he was initially skeptical of taking.

I've not read any of the sisters Parrish books before but I have to say their story is much like fine needlepoint, a seamless picture produced by hundreds of tiny stitches. The plot was involved but not in an artificial manner. The characterizations were masterful. They built a despicable picture of the rich, cruel and bored. I'm fond of mysteries than force me to ponder who really is guilty. In this case the guilty parties were so numerous and mostly not guilty of chargeable offenses that pondering was maximized.

I recommend the book.