The Wonderland Murders [Paperback]

Kent Braithwaite (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Four Seasons Publishers (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189192933X
• ISBN-13: 978-1891929335
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,223,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, Well Written Mystery, January 19, 2002

By 

Hotclue "aka Beth Anderson, author and book r... (IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wonderland Murders (Paperback)

Jesse Asconcio, Hispanic former FBI man, then politician, and now PI and part-time poet, is called to take a look at a dead woman hanging in his-father-in law's amusement park, Wonderland. Police and Jesse soon learn the dead woman was a call girl. And Jesse knows full well that his father-in-law and brothers-in-law frequently make use of the same escort service where the dead woman worked for $750 a night. Within two days another corpse is discovered shot to death at Wonderland, this time a known pimp. Next day, another murder, this time a Wonderland employee stabbed in the House of Horrors. The investigation, headed by Jesse's friend, who happens to be a black detective, begins in earnest, and the male in-laws all find themselves implicated. A woman shows up in Jesse's PI office and drops $2,000 on him to find the daughter she gave up for adoption 17 years ago. Jesse soon finds himself deeply involved in the investigation of the murders, the missing daughter, a prostitution ring and a nasty smuggling ring--more than enough to keep one PI busy for a while. This is a great mystery! The Wonderland ambiance, the detectives working to solve the murders, the vagaries of the wealthy and degenerate--all of these elements blend and work well. I liked the multicultural aspect; the characters were true to life in all cases. And I loved Jesse's relationship with his wife and children--a poignant and different touch for a PI of any nationality. In fact, after the first mention, I never gave a thought to anyone's nationality; it didn't matter to me because they were all so good at their jobs. Excellent work, Kent! My husband, my daughter, and I all loved this book.

78 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New (Brown) Face of Orange County, December 12, 2001

By 

Edna H (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wonderland Murders (Paperback)

Kent Braithwaite's Jesse Ascencio, his private eye hero in his debut mystery, The Wonderland Murders, represents the new face of Orange County. Jesse has a brown face, and he is a positive role model for the Hispanic population in Orange County. As a Latina and a lifelong resident Orange County, I was impressed by this mystery. Braithwaite has his finger on the socio-economic pulse of this region. I enjoyed the play Braithwaite gave to the various ethnic groups who are jockeying for position in our new social order. Jesse's a poet and a private investigator. He is married to an white woman, and his best friend is a black man. These characters represent today's Orange County, and, to a lesser extent, today's new America. Some murders occur at an amusement park owned by Jesse's Newport Beach father-in-law, and his investigation into this Asian woman's theat leads Jesse into entanglements with a prostitution ring. And several more homicides. The story rings true. The dialog reads well. The social message is rewarding. Brathwaite's The Wonderland Murders is a fine first novel.

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery I Couldn't Put Down, July 17, 2002

By 

Rod Norville (Los Altos, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wonderland Murders (Paperback)

The first sentence in the book leaps off the page and grabs you. "'You called the cops?' I asked, gawking at the corpse. I would've preferred to think I was staring, but I knew , in all likelihood, I was gawking."

The speaker is Jesse Ascencio, a real class act private investigator with an intriguing background; former Congressman,
FBI agent, poetry writer and faithfully married man. Who wouldn't like him?

The corpse is a murdered Asian beauty in a Southern California coastal amusement park.

Ascencio, working closely with an African American detective, dives into the investigation only to be hit with additional daily murders. He soon finds himself embroiled in a much bigger picture involving smugglers, prostitutes and then real danger to himself! All the ingredients to keep us reading through the night; just as an excellent mystery should.

I'm anxiously looking forward to Mr. Braithwaite's second, third and fourth novels.