Customer Reviews

Red, White & Dead (Izzy McNeil Mysteries)

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

 

 

After reading the first two books in the series, I couldn't wait to start this one. I read it over Labor Day weekend, and I couldn't put it down. Izzy once again finds herself in hot water, this time with the mob. In addition to that, she finds herself wondering about the death of her father, and if he really is dead. In her quest for answers, the mob trouble and the search for her father become entangled. She also begins to understand herself better and her romance heats up. I can't wait for more Izzy adventures!

I loved the first two books of the "Red" trilogy, but while I was glad to finally be finished with the Sam stuff, I found this one somewhat disappointing.

The storyline really stretched credibility, but worse, there were too many loose ends left hanging. While this is good for future adventures of Izzy, it wasn't good for the final book of a trilogy. What happens now to Izzy's mother and her husband? What happened to the guy Maggie met in Italy? Was he part of the Camorra? What happened with Mayburn and Lucy? Did Elena go back home? What was up with the explosion? Nothing was wrapped up as it should have been to send off what was packaged as a trilogy.

Looking forward to more books by this author, but hope she doesn't make this mistake again.

In Chicago, since losing her job as an entertainment lawyer, Izzy McNeil works for private investigator John Mayburn. After her undercover work exposed Michael DeSanto as a crook (with the help of his wife), she is working on his associate Dez Romano, head of the family business. However, her identity as Suzanne is exposed when Michael sees her with Dez. They chase after her into a garage when a man calls out to "Boo" enabling her to escape.

Mayburn, who loves Michael's wife, tells Izzy to leave town. She decides to head to Rome to talk to her paternal Aunt Elena because only her mom and her late dad called her "Boo". Mayburn agrees to conduct research in the States. In Italy, Izzy is joined by her best friend Maggie and two hunks as she learns of her family connection to the Camorra mob, but remains ignorant to how deep and that they are aware of her presence in Rome and Naples.

The third Izzy "Red" thriller (See RED HOT LIES and RED BLOOD MURDER) takes a family spins on both sides of the Atlantic. The story line is fast-paced as the Italian mobsters try to scare the heroine back to Chicago so the American side of the family can quietly silence her; a killing of a red headed Yank in Italy would be international headline news as opposed to just local in the Windy City. Although lacking the humor and anti-noir feel of the previous two story lines, RED, WHITE AND DEAD is an enjoyable mystery with a few terrific twists as fans and Izzy try to figure out what is going on.

Harriet Klausner

I liked The Good Liar and one of the "Red" trilogy, but this one was just over the top with a frantic pace, which for me did not seem to be frantic (if that makes any sense). Izzie was here, there and everywhere and not at all acting like the mature woman she was supposed to be. Her love life is getting tiresome and if she wants to be a Romance writer than she is on the right track. I hope Sam is really out of her life as she never seems able to let go of anyone. This situation with another Italian mob was not at all interesting, since when you write about that subject it all seems like you've read it before. And there is always an ugly, drooling underling waiting to rape her. Yuk. I believe Ms. Caldwell has talent, but I wish she'd step back and write a bit more seriously. Oh, one more thing. No matter if she is totally broke, she always manages to travel all over the globe and eat well; give me a "hen in a basket" break.

Of the three Izzy McNeil mysteries, this one was my favorite. It is fast-paced, suspense-filled, and cleverly plotted. Chicago and the midwest seems even fresher and more appealing because the novel also takes us to the winding streets of decadent Rome and Naples. It (thankfully) dispenses with the most lugubrious aspects of the romance with Izzy's former fiance, Sam (well, except for one maudlin scene) in favor of the youthful tattooed hi-tech millionaire Theo, who demonstrates that he is not only an athlete in the bedroom but can be a sweet boyfriend for the coltish Isabel. (Yes, there is a bit a chick-lit here, but tempered by the forward driving narrative of the mystery.) We learn more about Isabel's family than in previous books; indeed there are loose ends in the family plot by the novel's finish, but those just make me hope there will be more red hot novels to tie them up. I'm amazed that Laura Caldwell, who has written ten books since 2002, was able to come out with the three novels that make up the Izzy McNeil trilogy (Red Hot Lies, Red Blooded Murder, and this one) all in 2009, one on the heels of the other, after publishing "The Good Liar" in 2008. She is a pro.

I think each book got better & better. Izzy became more human with each book. I wanted to be her friend. I live in Chicago and I'll be looking out for her, for sure! haha... I hope Laura Caldwell keeps Izzy alive for a long time to come.

I picked up this book at the bookstore hoping that I had found a new mystery writer to enjoy. The best thing I can say about the story is that it moves quickly. I would classify it as a cross between a romance novel and a mystery with neither being believable. The heroine was irritating and the story laughable. The ending was a let down even for this boring book.

I waited for this one to come out! Could not wait, but it was so boring and did nothing but pretty mush re-hash the other two previous novels. Save your money, pick it up for a quarter.