Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator

Catherine Winter #1

by Linda Pendleton

“Hollywood is glitter and gutter. Some make it to the top and stay there, basking in the splendor of it, while others hit bottom and are engulfed by the ugliness of it.” ~Catherine Winter, Private Investigator The stalking of two young professional print models leads private investigator Catherine Winter into the dark and dirty shadows of Hollywood=s entertainment elite. Portraits of these people become distorted and out of focus as murder, pornography, illicit drugs, and blackmail, color the view while Catherine searches for truth and justice. In her long career as a Southern California private investigator, Catherine has seen it all and does not flinch when up against the criminal world. She is determined, open-minded, and relies on her intuition in investigative work. “Linda Pendleton’s first private-eye novel is a brilliant debut.” ~Richard S. Prather, Author of the Shell Scott Mystery Series“What makes the book so pleasurable to read outside of the brisk pace is that nothing comes easy for Winter. She has to "earn" it in the same way that Linda has earned her right to sit at the top with today's other crime writers. The inside look at Hollywood and surrounding areas rings with authenticity.” ~Jon Guenther, Author.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2009

About the author

Linda Pendleton also publishes as L.R. Pendleton.

Reviews

[Kathyk21]

Catherine Winter is a surprising private investigator. She is a very sharp and experienced older woman, who is a professional private investigator. In my reading experience, older women who are solving mysteries are generally grandmotherly, and only solving mysteries as a hobby; not so with Catherine Winter. There are enough red herrings and interesting twists to keep a good mystery solver alert. In Shattered Lens, Catherine Winter, Private Investigator, Linda Pendleton explores the steamy underbelly of Hollywood drug culture. That is not a unique location, but she makes the experience of the mystery a worthy successor of the 1930's film noir genre.

[A.G. Lindsay]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I'm not sure why I didn't. I think it was the setting and the tone. The setting seems to be present-day LA, but the tone reads almost from a traditional 50s-style detective fiction (complete with a newspaper morgue and cops who work in concert with the PI and not at odds.)

The mystery was well developed, the conclusion was supported and wasn't telegraphed beforehand. My only quibble being Cherise's involvement and the lack of any use of the first clue, the note signed "Loverboy." If Cherise was supposed to only be a red herring or collateral damage, too much time was spent on her, if not, the reasons for her being followed, threatened and harmed (from the beginning, even before Lucy is) were never really fleshed out.

I think was the dryness of the tone made the clues and their analysis seem repetitive and somewhat boring. I actually think this helped make the book seem much less salacious than it could have been given the twists and turns of the plot. Unfortunately, this also distanced the reader from the narrator.

The relationship between Catherine and the police commander was, quite frankly, more boring than her interactions with the other cops. I loved the concept of Catherine, an older woman who is an experienced investigator, but the execution was somewhat lacking in this book.

[Wendy]

This book wasn't bad, but it was a bit slow paced for my taste. There was a lot of repetition of facts, and no real excitement. It was written in the first person from the point of view of a 60-something year old woman, and rather than be about a vibrant, active 60-something year old, she seemed more like a boring, acts older than her years one. There were some amusing parts, such as when she dresses up in a very gaudy outfit, but those were few and far between.

The mystery itself was pretty good.

[Rosalee]

Catherine Winter is an older (my age) private investigator. In this tale, she is no sooner asked to investigate a possible stalker, and the client is murdered. Amidst the glitter of Hollywood Catherine has made a promise to find the murderer and intends to keep it. As with many cozy mysteries, there is also a romantic angle between Catherine and someone in authority, in this case John Anderson. I liked Catherine and John, and the story kept me interested.

[Linda Pendleton]

Endorsement:

“Linda Pendleton’s first private-eye novel is a brilliant debut.”
~Richard S. Prather, Author of the Shell Scott Mystery Series

[Nipurna]

My first private investigation book and loved it. It crippled to me for few days and that was scary mark.