Attorney David Winter kicks back on the Florida beach soaking in the sunshine and watching the ladies stroll by. When his old Army buddy, Sean asks him to defend his aunt in a murder case, David doesn’t think twice and leaves the sun and sand for Missouri’s ice and snow to help his old pal. Seems Aunt Sharon’s past time was killing husbands and getting rich off their insurance policies. Not even Sean’s generosity—a BMW 528i with chauffeur, 100 grand plus expenses and a luxury apartment--all at David’s disposal—can save Aunt Sharon from the needle!
The more David investigates, the more accomplices keep coming out of the woodwork. When he’s shot, drugged and hit over the head, David takes it personally—but that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg! He faces a startling truth, which nearly destroys him and his faith in all he holds dear. But lady justice isn’t blind and unforgiving of those who shake her scales. As an instrument of law, David must once again become the hardened soldier honed on the battlefields of VietNam and stand toe to toe with unscrupulous prosecutors, and a judge wanting a quick trial. Buckle your safety belt…you are in for a wild ride.
Attorney extraordinaire, David Winters takes on a complex murder case to help out an old buddy. His investigations take the reader on a roller coaster ride of murder, lies and intrigue. Interesting plot twists with good characters, it is the perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire on a dark evening. Very enjoyable
This book grabbed my interest as a mystery story and l like those. But l did not know that this mystery was a wopper of a complicated murder mystery with twists that would throw the defense lawyer every which way researching the case. I enjoy books that make me keep turning the pages to see what will happen next and at the same time wanting the story to last longer. The conclusion was well done. I will be reading more books by this author.
The book was entertaining. The lightness of the story was obvious from the beginning but it read like a decent mystery. I was disappointed that the author relied on the boozing/women/shooting to try to have the story come across like the tale of a hard-boiled PI. The end seemed thrown together to add to the strangeness of the tale.
What a fantastic murder mystery chocked full of twist and surprises that keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. Very well thought out and executed with characters well developed. I highly recommend this excellent book.
I liked this book. Nice easy reading but still plenty going on to keep the readers interest. Great characters too.and lots of twists and turns. A good enjoyable read.
Mr.Winter was contacted by a old Army buddy name Sean to be a lawyer for his Aunt Sharon who was being charged for murder and insurance fraud. He was paid very well with all expenses paid so he represented her. She had 5 0r 6 husbands and the most recent ones were supposed to be murdered by her. The judge was mean and wanted to just deem her guilty. Who killed them all if she didnt do it.Most of the men had left her well to do. But she also gave a son up for adoption no one knew about- could it been him. What can Mr. Winters, do he found alot of evidence on many people.
For the first time in a long time I was ready to give up on a book after reading just a few chapters. I am glad I didn't because it did get more interesting. There were oddles of plot twists, almost to many for my old brain to follow. I didn't give it a 5 star rating because I found there were a few questions at the conclusion which I don't have answers for. I won't state them because I don't want to spoil the book for other readers.
I couldn't put it down! David Winter is an attorney who represents the aunt of one of his best friends who is accused of being a black widow, a woman who kills her husbands for their money. The twists and turns that are a part of this journey will have your head spinning! Great book and I am recommending it for a great read!
This book was awesome! I loved everything about it the characters (David Winter, Sean ...) and the story was great. Who would have believed someone could get away with six-seven? murders and not get caught? I especially liked the end where David put everything together. I can't wait to read another book by Cleve Sylcox.
I really liked this book! Lots a lot of sleep over it .Can usually read a few pages and go to sleep but was hard to lay down .Kept thinking one more page!!!! So I will be checking out some more of this author's books.
Very amateurish and poorly written. I had forgotten the name of the author while reading the book but had no doubt it was a man. Poor character development and such a stupid storyline too.
Enjoyed this mystery. I don't usually go for mysteries but there was a lot of collusion and background deals gone bad. I thought it was a pretty good story.
Seven is supposed to be a lucky number...isn't it? Or is it? How many husbands have to die before you become a black widow? Is this wife unlucky (or her husbands)? Or is there more to it than we think. David Winters is about to find out when an old friend, a fellow Viet Nam vet, asks him to be his aunt's lawyer in a court case. Influenced by a real case in 1940, if this book is any indication of what's to come, this will be the beginning of an exceptional series. This will be a short review because the book is packed with everything a series could deliver. A lawyer (with the attitude of a '40s private eye and an eye to the ladies), an adventurous investigation, murder, mystery, confusing twists, humorous asides, and a surprising ending. Cleve Sylcox certainly knows how to entertain. If I say more, I may inadvertently spoil the plot. Trust me, this book kept me reading and is worth the adventure.
The narrator even calls his secretary "doll". I gave this book four stars because it had to be hard to write. Although there were not many main characters, there were enough victims to fill an arena. This isn't a typical read straight through book. It has to be digested and thought through after reading so many pages. It did break a cardinal rule of writing, though forgiven as it sort of fit with the flow of the story, and that was adding a key character at the end. This is not a who dunnit in the old fashioned way. But, it was still a good read and I enjoyed that it took place in St. Charles, MO. My Mom once lived there many years ago. I wish she was still around so I could tell her it's haunted history. She would have loved it.
Disclaimer - I personally know the author was a Beta reader for this novel.
Mystery is not my usual genre so when the author asked for Beta readers, I hesitated. However, I decided to broaden my horizons and dove in and guess what? I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns and the story keeps you guessing as to who dunnit and just when you think you've figured it out, wham, it turns again. I enjoyed the characters and continued to think about them after I completed reading. I can't wait for the next one in the series.
The first few pages were slow, but from that point the story/mystery unfolded with many many twists and turns. I enjoyed being lead by each piece of evidence just to be fooled. Once I thought it was becoming clear where the story was going, another unforeseen avenue made me question who I thought was the obvious killers. Don't miss this page Turner!
Safe to say I am now hooked on the David Winter series. The character is very well developed and believable. High praise from a retired cop who has been around my share of court cases, cops , defendants, and lawyers in the great state of Missouri. Keep them coming, Mr. Sylcox.
There were way too many errors in the book to make it an enjoyable read. The author's response was the homophones, lack of punctuation, tautologies, grammatical errors, fragmented plot and typos were there to enhance the lead character. If that truly was the intent the book falls way short of the mark. Most disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
David Winter would do anything for his war buddy Sean so when asked to help prove Sean's aunt innocent of killing seven husbands he undertakes the task only to smell something's rotten and twisted. Excellent plot line and character creation. A book you can't put down.
Great Murder mystery with a surprise ending... Great characters, locations, and story! This story keeps you guessing right up to the end. Edge of your seat action, deep insights into previous cases and you just don't want to put it down... Would recommend to any avid mystery, murder or murder mystery reader, some colorful language. 5 Stars from me!
This author did a great job of writing an interesting story that will keep you trying to figure out who the killer is until the end. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good mystery.