Jasmine's Fate

Ace Edwards Series #5

by Randy Rawls

A morning phone call launches Ace Edwards, Dallas PI, into his most convoluted case. Douglas Isendorf the Third is murdered, and his father, the Texas hardware king, is in a rage. Jasmine Loverly, Ace's client and Doug's live-in girlfriend (or is she his wife?) is suspect number one. A lack of physical evidence has homicide Lieutenant Clint Ravel in a bind while city hall hounds him for an arrest. Kit Levitt, Ace's female compatriot, is out of town, however he still has his two cats, his computer buddy, and his septuagenarian neighbor. How can he miss with such assistance? Ace's path leads from Dallas to Grand Saline and Fruitvale, TX into the arms of Vickie Loverly, Jasmine's mother. At the same time, he discovers that Douglas Isendorf the Second has a side not shown to others. His change of mind puts Ace in his employment to prove Jasmine innocent. Ace learns that Lawrence Smallman visited Doug III in the past, accompanied by Doug's alcoholic mother. Ace uncovers a witness who places them in the neighborhood the morning of the murder. He suspects Larry's duplicity in the crime, however there is no proof. Nor can Lt. Ravel find proof, but he accepts Ace's suppositions. Ace briefs the senior Isendorf who dismisses him saying he'll handle it. Three months later, Ace reads in the Dallas newspaper that Smallman drowned in Caddo Lake. His alcohol level was well beyond the legal limit. There were no witnesses.

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eighth episode in the continuing saga of Texas P.I. Ace Edwards, he of two cats, endless quirky acquaintances and an ever present libido. The novels are a blend of homespun down home and good old boy humor with a straightforward effort to solve a crime.

Money and power leavened with jealousy and seriously injured feelings are mixed well to reveal some of the inside machinations of the wealthy and corrupt in Dallas, one of the the great metropolitan centers of the nation. When the prominent scion of a huge hardware conglomerate, Issendorf Enterprises, is discovered dead on a bloody kitchen floor with a large butcher knife in his chest, scrutiny immediately falls on the apparent bimbo who was living with him, a voluptuous young woman with few if any recommendations. She’s not exactly from across those ubiquitious tracks, but close.

Enter cat-loving Dallas P.I., Ace Edwards, who never saw a situation without a homily he couldn’t quote or distort. Friend of cops, lawyers, and other assorted characters, Ace accepts the challenge to prove that the distracting young woman of the title didn’t kill the man. I was reminded of another fictional PI who once remarked about another shapely female, “She took a deep breath and I nearly fainted.”

One of the distinguishing aspects of these novels about randy Ace Edwards, written, readers will no doubt have noticed, by Randy Rawls, is the neat well-researched historical element the author always inserts. Weaving nuggets of historical information into the narrative is one of this author’s strengths. The result is a very satisfying and enjoyable novel.

[Elaine Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dallas is home to the fictional Arthur Conan Edwards, Ace to his friends and his writer friend, Randy Rawls. Ace is always open to helping damsels in distress. Especially if it is a redhead as Ace has a weakness for redheads. Called by his good friend Clint Ravel, lead detective on a homicide case, Ace leaves his two cats, Sweeper and Striker, home alone to tear up the place while he drives over to meet his latest potential client, Jasmine Loverly. Jasmine is a redhead and very beautiful. She is also a suspect in the murder of Doug Isendorf, III. He died from a kitchen knife being shoved deep into his chest and the beautiful Jasmine has his blood on her hands. His father is convinced she did it and wants her buried under the jail. Before long, Ace is trying to clear her name while following a trail that leads from Dallas/ Ft. Worth to East Texas and back again. Released through Hilliard and Harris, this story was interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a cozy style novel told from Ace's viewpoint with a cast of solid recurring characters and an intriguing mystery. The result is a comfortable page turning read where the bad guys get theirs in the end, Ace has his girl and his cats, and all is right with the world. Pop a Killian, Ace's drink of choice, and sit back and enjoy.

[Sylvia Dickey Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors!