(Reviewed by Lee Nelson)
I am a Trey Woman and I cannot lie! I just finished Tina Whittle’s debut novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things and fell madly in love with her style, her characters, and her ability to truly weave a solvable mystery.
The story centers on Tia Randolph, a southern girl who, along with her brother, just co-inherited her uncle’s guns shop located in Atlanta, GA. A former ghost-tour guide from Savannah, GA, she heads to Atlanta to run the shop while staying with her brother, Eric. Unfortunately, she finds a dead body sitting in a car outside of her brother’s house…the same day as Eric takes off to teach a course on a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Guess who the detectives look at as suspect(s)? That’s when the real fun begins.
Tai finds herself trying to figure out just the who and why surrounding the dead girl in order to get her and Eric off of the “Person of Interest” list. In the process, some meets some of the most well-written characters I’ve encountered recently…including the oh-so-hawt Trey Seaver. Whittle knows how to slowly reveal her characters to maintain reader interest. When we meet Seaver, we only see a uptight security guy, but as the story progresses, Tai (and the reader) learn of a brain-damaging car accident, an honorable career as a detective, friends with loyalty towards him, and someone who sees the world in strict black-and-white (for good reason).
To the delight of mystery readers, Whittle enables the reader to solve and learn as the story goes. Just as the reader is new to the world of Tai, she is also new to Savannah and the people around her. Attentive readers can play the part of amateur sleuth right alongside of Tai. Whittle, though, also ensures a couple of surprises that are non-essential to the mystery, but will still elicit giggles and snorts from the reader.
So why read the book? A well-crafted story, realistic characters, a touch of romance, a solvable mystery, and a likeable heroine makes the book a lovely afternoon or beach read.
