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The author is a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California's Medical School at Davis, near Sacramento in Northern California. Jerry, a two-time winner of The Indie Book of the Day Award, writes “tweener” mystery books (tough mystery stories that follow the cozy conventions of no graphic sex and no cussing) that are fast moving and entertain the reader. Several of the books introduce the readers to South America, a region where he has lived and worked that is a long way from home for most English speakers. He and his wife Elaine lived previously in Salta, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. Jerry selects the most interesting South American locations he found for Roger and Suzanne to visit while solving miscellaneous murders. Montevideo, Salta, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Iguazu Falls are also characters in these books, and the novels portray these places as vivid and real. Jerry and Elaine breed prize-winning German shorthaired pointer dogs; Elaine also provides technical advice for Jerry’s dog-related novels like The Deadly Dog Show and Hunter Down, as well as editing for all of the books.
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite
The Matador Murders, Book 3, is from the Roger and Suzanne South American Mystery Series by Jerold Last. His friend, Eduardo Gomez, a Paraguayan police officer, asks Private Detective Roger Bowman to travel to Uruguay to help free a police officer accused of murdering another cop. His wife, Suzanne, makes it a family vacation with their baby, despite the hazards of the case. She agrees to go undercover to meet financiers who may be involved in shady land deals. When another murder is committed, the evidence shows both murders are connected and the victim was a known criminal. Things heat up when thugs attack Roger and his friends. They soon realise that there is warfare between rival gangs when the case takes another unusual turn.
The Matador Murders is a moderately paced mystery with adequate action. Jerold Last gives readers an informative tour of Uruguay and other South American countries, which includes their foods and cultures. Roger is the main narrator in the story, but I found the dialogue slightly stiff and repetitious at times. I like the bond that Roger has with his family. Although the focus is on Roger, Suzanne is a strong character who knows when to hold her audience with conversation or a good karate kick.
