Deadly Illusions (Greg McKenzie Mysteries) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Enjoy the Greg McKenzie mystery series, as this is one author a reader can count on." -- Blue Iris Review

"This series keeps getting better. The McKenzies are a unique sleuthing couple. Don't miss this one." -- Julia Spencer-Fleming, Agatha and Anthony Award winning author

Product Description

Molly Saint hires new PI's Greg and Jill McKenzie to check into her husband's background, then disappears. It starts them on a tangled trail of deceit. Complicating matters further, Greg gets drawn into a troubling police investigation stemming from the assassinatiion of the Federal Reserve Board chairman at a Nashville hotel. The case resurrects old problems with a Murder Squad detective and his colleagues among Nashville's finest. The deeper the McKenzies dig, the more deadly illusions they face. After threats, break-ins and another murder, the charade ends in a shocking showdown.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Durban House; 1st edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930754655
• ISBN-13: 978-1930754652
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,149,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling , September 13, 2005

By	Christy T. French "author" (Powell, TN, author, "The Bodyguard") - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Chester Campbell has created a unique blend of sleuthing with the Greg McKenzie series. In this installment, McKenzie, retired from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and former investigator for the Nashville DA's office, has opened an investigative firm with his wife Jill. While investigating the disappearance of funds from a popular restaurant chain, they agree to take on a case for Molly Saint, who asks for a background check on her husband Damon. When Molly mysteriously disappears, Greg and Jill try to track her whereabouts, which leads to entanglement with contract killers tied to the murder of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The McKenzie duo is a fresh addition to the mystery genre. An older couple, Greg and Jill complement each other personally and professionally and make for good reading. Campbell writes in an engaging style, delivering a mystery that twists and turns throughout the book. A compelling read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL READ, August 1, 2006

By	M E ROSSON (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

I MET AND BOUGHT CHESTER CAMPBELLS SECRET OF THE SCROLL AND LOVED IT, SO I IMMEDIATELY BOUGHT A COPY DEADLY ILLUSIONS. BEING BORN IN NASHVILLE AND RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE, I REALLY ENJOYED THE MYSTERY THAT SEEM TO COME ALIVE. CHESTER HAS A WONDERFUL STYLE THAT LETS YOU STEP INTO THE PAGE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO LOVES A MYSTERY! KEEP IT UP CHESTER!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rolicking Good Read, May 11, 2006

By	Ben F. Small (Tucson, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In DEADLY ILLUSIONS, Greg and Jill McKenzie have opened McKenzie Investigations, not without trepidation. Can they make this a successful business without pursing domestic disputes and photo-jumping hot pant spouses? Their first case doesn't look promising. Molly Saint, a hottie despite her name, wants our dynamic duo to do a background investigation on her husband,a dark, secretive guy she married without much forethought or background info. She fears Damon may be violent, and she doesn't know what he does or where his money comes from. Damon told her he was a former Special Forces operative, and he claims to do occasional favors for his military buddies. But beyond that, Molly says the guy is a question mark, with a personality becoming more aggressive, violent even. She fears he may kill her.

Greg wants to decline, thinks this may be a hot pants ride, but Jill sets him straight: They need to pay the rent.

And so it begins. Routinely...until Molly disappears. No trace. Just a message that she finally got a look at Damon's basement workshop, and she's terrified. The McKenzies fear the worst. They search the house. Swept clean. But the basement looks like a meth lab. Was Damon a meth'er? Need the cops now. But then the house is torched, all trace evidence gone. Nothing left but a slip of paper with some phone numbers.

Who is this guy, Damon Saint? And why doesn't he have any bank accounts? Is Molly alive? Why did Damon flee a thriving business in Indiana without notice? Where does he get his money? Is he really Damon Saint, or just someone posing as him? Greg and Jill probe deeper and somebody gets offended. Threats, their office is trashed, their home vandalized.

Meanwhile, as if nothing else is going on, the Fed Reserve Chairman is murdered, almost in front of the McKenzies. A black man was seen running away. The feds and locals suspect the wrong man, but the McKenzie's find a witness who can clear him. The witness is murdered.

Greg and Jill find the dilapidated farmhouse where Damon was raised. There's a shovel, some signs of recent occupation. Is Molly buried here?

Not gonna say much more, because I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say, this is the best of the series, a real humdinger. Chester has developed Greg and Jill into intriguing characters with smarts, wit, grace and charm. But don't take these folks lightly: They're serious investigators and carry serious weapons -- they're not afraid to use them