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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book!, July 10, 2008
This review is from: His Name Is John (Elliott Smith Mystery, No. 1) (Paperback)
"His Name Is John - An Elliott Smith Mystery" is the first book in a great new mystery series written by Dorien Grey. I have been a big fan of Dorien Grey's first (and continuing) mystery series that features Private Investigator Dick Hardesty. The Dream Ender (A Dick Hardesty Mystery)
In this new series, Grey introduces us to Elliott Smith, a Chicago real estate developer who becomes deeply involved in the investigation of the murder of John (Doe), a man Elliott makes a quick connection with as they briefly share a hospital room before John dies. Elliott becomes determined to discover John's identity and find his killer for a whole slew of reasons that sneak up on Elliott and his friends from all directions.
This was a fun book to read but I hesitate to discuss the plot much because you should enjoy this book like I did -- not knowing what to expect and getting more than you can imagine.
Elliott Smith and his supporting cast of characters enjoy living their lives even as they try to solve the early end of John's life. Elliott's sister Cessy is married to a Chicago Homicide Cop who gives Elliott some valuable assistance. Cessy takes care of their two children but is also determined to get Elliott to settle down and "find the right man." Yes, Elliott is gay, but you don't have to be gay to like Elliott! There is a great mix of characters involved in this story, some nice and others not so nice, but together they will keep you involved to the end. I was up past 3:00 AM because I had to find out who dunnit before I could go to sleep. Warning:This may keep you up for late evenings, too.
I really like Grey's books because even though they always involve a murder, they are not slow, dark or too gloomy. If you love reading a good mystery, meet Elliott Smith -- you will love reading "His Name Is John."
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant Start to New Series, August 1, 2009
This review is from: His Name Is John (Elliott Smith Mystery, No. 1) (Paperback)
Dorien Grey, the prolific author of the Dick Hardesty mysteries returns with a new effort that sets up a potential new series. After being in an accident, Elliot Smith wakes up to find he is haunted by the amnesiac ghost of a dead man who was brought into the emergency room at the same time. The story follows Smith as he uncovers the identity of this ghostly companion and his killer. Along the way, we get to know a lot about Smith, his family and his new tentative love interest. The book is a quick, light-hearted read that doesn't tax the brain too heavily. The core mystery of John Doe's identity and his murderer was pretty easy to figure out but Grey throws in some nice character development to keep things relatively interesting. Thankfully, Grey continues to produce quality work in the thinning ranks of the once thriving subgenre of gay mystery novels. One small complaint is the manuscript is in dire need of a careful editor to clean up the grammatical errors. The problems aren't so endemic as to be distracting but enough to be noticeable despite being a small publisher.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Establishing an identity and righting some past wrongs ..., August 7, 2008
This review is from: His Name Is John (Elliott Smith Mystery, No. 1) (Paperback)
Elliott Smith has a new roommate, who happens to be dead. Well, not really dead, since he "talks" to Elliott frequently, but Elliott knows he isn't alive because he saw him dead, on a gurney next to him in the emergency room at the hospital, when being treated there after being hit by a car while walking in downtown Chicago. Police found the dead man, who they have named "John Doe" for now, dead from gunshot wounds in an alley, about the time of Elliott's accident. Somehow, Elliott feels a connection to this individual, even though he doesn't recognize him as anyone he met while he was alive. And John's spirit becomes a presence that follows Elliott around, agreeing that his name is John, but he doesn't know anything else about who he might be. Once out of the hospital, Elliott tries to go back to his usual routine, working on the renovation of a beautiful older Chicago apartment building, but senses John's presence at unpredictable intervals, drawing his attention to certain details (such as a body buried in the basement of the house he was renovating!) With some help from Brad, his brother-in-law who is a police detective, Elliott tries to find out more about John's past, as a way to help him find out who he was, and perhaps lead to some clues as to who may have killed him. Not knowing how to explain John's presence in his life, Elliott has to be creative in explaining his leads to Brad, and doesn't want to scare away a new man in his life by admitting he regularly speaks to a ghost. A family's turmoil, a mysterious connection to a photographer in California, and a former bully turned mobster are among the factors that Elliott confronts to try to give John his identity back.
The book is a well-written light read, featuring an interesting premise with paranormal implications, likeable and realistic characters that quickly involve the reader in the story. Maybe I was just lucky, but I was able to figure out most of the mystery early on, from the information presented by the author, which I almost never can do; I'd suggest a few more "red herrings" be thrown in, for future installments. Looking forward to the next in the series. I give this one four stars out of five.
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