Gassed

A Bernard Kane Mystery

Fiction - Mystery - Murder
364 Pages
Reviewed on 08/09/2024
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite

In Gassed: A Bernard Kane Mystery, Walter Deitchman continues the career of Bernard and Frank as they start up their new private investigator agency. Previously Bernard was a detective in New York and then a hairdresser to the stars. Frank had also served in the police and the FBI. Now independent, they are recruited to help law enforcement solve the deaths of three women in the San Diego area. It appears to be an impossible case since there is no apparent murder weapon and no suspects. None of the women was related or knew each other and there were no common connections. The narrative is also interspersed with other cases which are simultaneously investigated. To add to the mix there are unsolved and outstanding murders from years ago from a previous book in the series. Working together and on their own, Bernard and Frank’s new detective agency has as much work as it can handle.

I love the cover of Gassed. While it does hint at the solution to this murder mystery, there are still lots more clues to discover and surprises in store. The narrative speeds along, often moving from one case to the next as Frank and Bernard work separately, and not for one moment did I lose interest. This is a page-turner typical of the murder-mystery genre, with some humor and captivating phrases thrown in. Without giving away any spoilers, I enjoyed the chemical explanations that bring this tale up to date. The characters are realistic and very likable, well, most of them, and even those on the seedier side of life are very human and have their good points. There are also excellent descriptions of places and I suspect Walter Deitchman loves San Diego as he describes it in such interesting detail. If you are looking for a good detective thriller to while away a rainy afternoon, then this is one I would recommend.