Review: ‘I don’t know why I feel guilty, it’s not like I killed the guy.’
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
Jamie Quinn is a lawyer, still grieving for the loss of her mother when her cousin Adam is accused of murder.  It’s complicated.  While the victim, Spike, once a successful rock star, seems to have had a lot more enemies than friends, Adam appears to have confessed to the murder.  After all, Adam was standing over Spike’s body. ‘And he had blood on his hands..’But if Adam didn’t kill Spike, who did, and why?  And why did they use a didgeridoo?  And why would Adam confess if he didn’t actually kill Spike?A didgeridoo seems an unlikely murder weapon, especially in Hollywood, South Florida.  And Adam, with his keen interest in his dogs, in AC/DC and U2, has other challenges to overcome.‘The black one is Angus Young, he’s a Scottish terrier and he’s six months old.  The reddish one is Bono and he’s an Irish setter.  He’s only three months old.’Jamie is a likeable character who initially seems out of her depth: she’s not a criminal lawyer.  But she does have friends who can help, and she’s very keen to look get to the bottom of this case.I enjoyed reading this short story.  There are plenty of twists and turns along the path to justice and quite a few distractions as well.  It’s a fun quick read, and I didn’t actually work it out until close to the end.  So, if you have an hour or two to spare and are looking for a comparatively light murder mystery, you may enjoy this.  If you do enjoy Jamie Quinn, Ms Venkataraman has already published  a second mystery.Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this story for review purposes.Jennifer Cameron-Smith