Review: A Great Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2012
I have read the first three Savannah Martin mysteries and enjoyed each one, and highly recommend them.  Savannah, a beautiful, blonde Southern Belle, makes her first appearance in "A Cutthroat Business."  She's recently divorced, pursuing a career as a Realtor, and not very successful at it.  One Saturday morning while at the office manning the phones, she receives a call from a prospective buyer who complains that he was to meet Realtor Brenda Puckett at an old mansion for sale, but she never showed up.  Savannah immediately jumps at the chance to come and show the place.  When she arrives at the property, she is surprised to see that the interested buyer is a "drop-dead gorgeous" former school mate, Rafe Collier, who came from the bad part of town.  Nevertheless, she proceeds to show him through the rooms.  However, in one room, they come upon the dead body of Brenda, whose throat has been cut, and is covered in blood.  Savannah faints.  Rafe carries her outside. And the police are called.From there, Savannah, proceeds to investigate Brenda's murder with the help of Rafe, with whom she is becoming more and more friendly.  And more and more attracted to, though Savannah persistently denies this.  This greatly annoys Todd an Assistant D.A. whom Savannah dates on and off.  And Todd tells her how dangerous Rafe is, and that he spent two years in prison for assault and battery.Savannah strikes up a friendly relationship with Detective Tamara Grimaldi, who is investigating Brenda's murder.  After a second murder, Savannah also assists her in both murder investigations.Savannah is a charming character, with a great sense of humor, who went to finishing school and was raised to act at all times like a proper Southern Belle reminiscent of Scarlett from "Gone With the Wind."  She is careful to eat sparingly in a restaurant in front of a date, and never eat dessert because her mother told her that is right and proper.  She now becomes friendly with Rafe Collier, a biracial son of trailer park people and who never learned the niceties of life, and her life begins to change drastically.  Rafe is a fascinating character who calls Savannah "darlin," and he says that he intends to bed her down.  The tension between the two characters is great fun.And yet, Savannah, in the end, unmasks the murderer.