“It’s clear the author knows a lot about what she writes both first hand and from thorough background investigation. We thoroughly enjoyed this book. Write more, Preston! “
~ Sarah Edwards, author (with Paul Edwards) of 16 books.
“The ending turned in a direction I hadn’t expected, and I like that in a mystery.”
~ Amazon Review
“I can’t wait to read it again because I know I missed some of her cleverly crafted nuances in my haste to find out ‘who done it’. I hope she writes more mystery novels utilizing these main characters.”
~ Amazon Review
“Her in-depth research into police work, how the police think and function; the story itself which kept me spellbound to the surprising end. Love her character development. A must for all lovers of mystery. “
~ Amazon Review
“Any first time novelist should be encouraged and anyone attempting a police procedural should be doubly encouraged: these books are damned difficult, a juggling act at the very least. Mar Preston, in charge of a ‘cast of thousands’ plus plot weaving, has executed this format very well. Each character is reasonably rounded with the two protagonists both likeable and believable. You want it to work for them.
I don’t know California or, closer up, Santa Monica but I have a fairly good picture of its underbelly politics now. Clearly the author has done her homework and has insider knowledge. This is a crime book with a conscience…not much of that about. So I salute it. “
~ Jac the Hack, London, England
“This is a very good book, with lots of suspense and characters I could really care about. I’m looking forward to Ms. Preston’s next book!”
~ Amazon Review
“I couldn’t put this book down. I work at a community organizing nonprofit and was intrigued to find a murder mystery set in such a milieu. The scrappy nonprofit heroine and the harried city council members rang so true. So this book not only delivers the punch of a good whodunit, but it educates as well, sketching out the underside of how development, public policy and business work in a large metropolis. Which is what gives this book a meta message above and beyond it’s well rendered storyline…a lot of development shenanigans are like murder mysterys as in the fat cats get away with murder because no one’s paying attention. And justice isn’t just catching the bad guy, it’s pointing out the systemic injustice all around us and taking action to correct it. Preston takes this larger view, which is why this book rises above its murder mystery genre. She has clearly done her research around the issues dealt with in this book, be it real estate covenants, police procedure, or the physics of a shipping container rolling end over end downhill! The characters are well sketched out too, and Ginger and Mason’s perfectly pitched interactions made me think of Tony Hillerman with his troubled cops and strong wounded women. Preston’s insights into childhood bullying were an interesting subplot as well. This is clearly a writer with great promise, producing such a strong and impressive debut novel. I’m anxious to see what she’ll write next. Well worth reading.”
~ Trebor Healey, author of “Through It Came Bright Colors” and “Song of Pan.”
“If you favor characters like in Stone Barrington and Harry Bosch, you’ll love this book! We are avid Stuart Woods and Michael Connelly readers. We can’t wait for their next books to come out. Now we can’t wait for Preston’s next book. Preston has created a compelling and suspenseful plot with realistic but interesting characters, notably Detective David Mason, who you look forward to getting better acquainted with. We especially appreciated the authenticity of the characters as real-life human beings, not hyped-up super cops. This made both the story and the characters far more interesting than most in this genre. She also set the story in a context that is rich with reality by uncovering the in depth ins and outs of a community organization standing up to city politics and development lobby shenanigans, something we all suspect goes one, never quite want to believe, but feel validated to get a glimpse into. As you read it’s clear the author knows a lot about what she writes both first hand and from thorough background investigation. We thoroughly enjoyed this book. Write more, Preston! Quickly.”
~ Sarah Edwards, author (with Paul Edwards) of 16 books.
“I was charmed by this novel – it’s fresh approach, clear writing and likeable, human characters. The heroine is a happy change from the usually alcoholic, wise-cracking, guilt-ridden and often injured, heroine of modern crime novels. The cop hero is a nice man who is not abusive, power-ridden or outrageously over-the-top sexy.
The storyline is easy to follow. Big business is trying to force a hither-to calm city into accepting the presence and resulting financial crushing of a huge casino. Protest groups are fighting hard to keep them out. Murder is one person’s way of solving a problem and things go downhill from there.
The author knows her stuff. The political background, so often hard to follow, is told in a straightforward manner by the characters, making it easy for the reader to feel as though he or she is part of whichever group is working at any one time. Highly recommended – Mar Preston is a novelist to watch and I am looking forward to the next Dave Mason novel.”
~ Diana Hockley, author of “The Celibate Mouse” and “Naked Room.” Australia.
Available at Amazon.com, in Kindle and paperback versions, also at Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and in Bookstores and Libraries.
