The Rat Pack Mystery That Features Marilyn

Okay, yes, I admit it:  I am addicted to these fun novels about the Rat Pack! This time, our Eddie G. is asked to help a friend of Dean's...one Marilyn Monroe. What red-blooded male of the early 60s would turn down such a gig? Not our favorite pit boss. Marilyn feels someone has been following her, so Eddie agrees to look into it. Unfortunately, he receives word of the passing of his mother back in New Jersey, so Eddie turns the job over temporarily to detective buddy, Danny Bardini. Things take a turn for the worse when the funeral doesn't go well and Danny disappears. Along with sidekick Jerry, Eddie becomes determined to discover what happened to his friend and also to keep Marilyn safe. Suffice it say, nothing goes as planned and someone ends up injured and someone ends up...dead.

The portrayal of Marilyn in this mystery is handled sensitively yet realistically; it's great to see Eddie react with care and concern for Marilyn's worries, and to see her portrayed as sexy yet vulnerable. Along with Marilyn, Frank comes off particularly well in this installment, agreeing to help Eddie G out more than once. I can feel the relationships developing here, deepening into true friendship. Jerry is a delight as usual, and it's great to see Eddie relying more on his friend, and realizing just how important Jerry is to him. The story does go off in an unexpected way, but more icons of the 60s are involved and it's easy to see how seamlessly Randisi weaves personalities into his story. Particularly poignant is the ending; you'll start to believe it all truly happened this way. And that is the true beauty and fun of this novel. So much fun!

~taminator40