Review: THE CLASSMATE MURDERS
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 25, 2011
The Classmate Murders, by Bob Moat had me squirming deeper into my recliner and reaching for my bag of Oreos by the end of chapter one. Jim Richards, Moats fictional senior sluith, pulled me into his easy going, semi slothful life-style and made me feel comfortable and welcome in his parent's home, as he discovered that a classmate from forty years earlier had been murdered. Jim's  life of acceptance of growing old, and his prospects for the future not the best for a man his age, melted away in an instant of sentement and memory at the loss of his friend. Jim's mental gears start to turn slowly as he ponders why the dead person had reached out to him in her final moments of life: Him,the class nerd, him the shy unassuming class photographer, him, always invited, but never missed if he didn't show. A cunning and methodical mind is quickly revealed as he searches for answers. When the second classmate is murdered, Jim is up to his not-so-slim waist in mystery and intrigue, always two steps behind the murderer. When the body of a third friend shows up, Jim has picked up enough clues through bird dog tenacity,and a hound's sense of smelling out trouble,that he has a suspect in his sights and is zeroing in for the bust. Suddenly, the hunt turns and Jim is the target, possibly the next victim, or so he suspects, but the real target is the new love in his life, Penny, the girl that had a secret crush on Jim when they were in High School. Jim is caught off guard that such a beauty would have any interest in him, backin the day, and even now, when she reveals her long hidden secret of love for Jim. In spite of this new-found love late in life, Jim stays focused on finding the murderer. What happens next is close up tangles with the murderer, Shoot outs, high speed chases, close calls for Jim and Penny. The last chapter had me pacing my den floor, oreo crumbs trailed behind me, the sun peeking in through the closed blinds...thank God for sick days. By 9:00 A.M. I was downloading Moats,Show Girl Murders,with Jim and Penny in Las Vegas.