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CEREAL KILLER
by G. A. McKevett
Kensington, November 2004
315 pages
$6.50
ISBN: 0758204590


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Savannah Reid is a confident, self-assured private eye who works in close connection with her former partner, police detective Dirk Coulter. She is, as near as I can tell, probably in her mid-to-late 30s, and has gotten over the reality that she will never again wear a single-digit dress size. That's OK with her, she likes her food and she's in good shape.

Savannah is hired by agent Leah Freed to find out how one of her top full-figured models Caitlin Connor really died. Caitlin was trying desperately to lose weight as part of a promotion for Slenda Flakes cereal. The official cause of death is hypothermia. This doesn't raise any eyebrows until another model, Kameeka Wills, is killed in an apparent hit-and-run accident. Two models connected with the Slenda campaign, dead within two days of each other. Then Teslay Montoya disappears. That's three. Leah is frantic. Coulter is going nuts.

There are plenty of suspects. Caitlin's husband has been cheating on her, although he says their marriage was an 'open' one. Caitlin had had a fling with Matt Slater, the photographer on the Slenda ads -- a real slimeball, in Savannah's opinion. As is Ronald Tumblety, a stalker who has annoyed all three of the models. There are rumors floating around that the three models were leaving the Freed agency to go out on their own. Jerrod Beekman has a lot riding on the Splenda campaign. So does Charles Wentworth III, who is rapidly losing the family fortune.

I found CEREAL KILLER to be moderately entertaining. I had no trouble putting it down, no burning desire to pick it back up again. I also had no trouble keeping track of everyone, keeping plot lines straight, keeping all the connections connected. This is the 10th book in the series, I think, and perhaps picking it up so late meant that I didn't have all the back stories to keep me interested.

I got a little tired of the weight-food-size angst, very sick of Savannah's sister Marietta (as did Savannah) who hasn't the brains God gave a turnip when it comes to men, and would have liked to see more of Tammy, Savannah's assistant. I found the relationship between Savannah and Dirk to be believable on a personal level, but highly improbable on a professional level. Her two gay friends, Ryan and John, are so stereotypical as to be plastic, with very convenient connections to the FBI and technology.

For me, this would be a book to take to the beach when I didn't really want much more than entertainment and that sense of 'good will triumph' at the end. If light and unrealistic is what you're looking for, pick up some more of these. No calories, no feeling of fullness, and they leave a good taste in your mouth.

Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, May 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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