by Dan Andriacco

Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a copy of Murder at the Driskill. There is also a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy.

One of the strengths of the mystery genre is that it comes in all shapes and sizes, from romantic suspense to noir. In her Sydney Lockhart series of hotel mysteries, though, Kathleen Kaska has created something special with a mash-up of screwball comedy (think 1930s movies), and Texas noir. The fourth serving of this unusual blend is the best yet.

Murder at the Driskill finds Sydney, an intrepid 1950s newspaper reporter, with a new gig in addition to her day job at the Austin American. She and her boyfriend, former cop Ralph Dixon, and their associate, Billy Ludlow, have formed their own private detective agency in Austin.

One of their first clients is a rancher who wants them to investigate his business partner, who is also his brother-in-law. But before they can even begin, the subject is shot and killed at the Driskill Hotel, just as he is expected to declare his candidacy for governor of Texas. His wife confesses to the murder, but nobody believes she did it, including their client, who now wants them to prove his sister-in-law’s innocence. Sydney and Ralph’s investigation turns up lots of motives—for killing their client. Everybody liked the victim, including his wife.

The 1950s were seldom as exciting as in this fast-paced and funny mystery, which is packed with action right to the end. The central problem around which the story revolves is an intriguing one, and the solution is satisfying. What will bring you back to the next Sydney Lockhart novel, though, is the snappy dialogue and a cast of memorable characters, highlighted by a 12-year-old girl (going on 30) who stars as Sherlock Holmes in a play she wrote. If you’re tired of the 21st Century, or just need a little break from it, pour yourself a martini and open Murder at the Driskill for the perfect escape.

To enter to win a copy of Murder At The Driskill, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Driskill,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 14, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Click on this link to purchase this book and you will be supporting an indie bookstore & a portion goes to help support KRL.

Murder at the Driskill – A Sydney Lockhart Mystery

Dan Andriacco is the author of seven mystery novels and Baker Street Beat: An Eclectic Collection of Sherlockian Scribblings. His primary series, featuring Professor Sebastian McCabe and brother-in-law Jeff Cody, is set in a small college town in southern Ohio. The latest is Rogues Gallery, a collection of novellas and short stories. Dan has also been a mystery reviewer and taught non-credit classes in mystery fiction. He once won a bet with a colleague that he could write a novella in less time than it took her to read one of his novels. The Egyptian Curse, co-authored with Kieran McMillan, will be published this spring.