Kiss & Tell by Luke Murphy Book Review

 

I know I have said this before, but one of the best things about reading is discovering new authors. Such is the case with Mr. Murphy whom I can across on Twitter. For a new author, having written only six (I believe) books, I am impressed with his writing style and ability to tell a story.

Charlene Taylor always knew she wanted to be a cop. She was, after all, her daddy’s girl, the boy he never had. Charlene also has a close personal relationship with the bottle. Her drinking habit fills her with self-loathing, which makes her a likable character, a believable character.

In this tale, Charlene is finally promoted to a detective in the Homicide-Robbery division, which has been her goal. She finds herself in a man’s world, having the need to prove herself. The HR unit is working on the Celebrity Slayer case, her own father’s case, as well as the case of a murdered professor.

Charlene Taylor – Female detective working in a male-dominated world, filled with self-loathing. A relatable character.

Martin Taylor – Charlene’s dad.

Brenda Taylor – Charlene’s mom.

Jane – Charlene’s sister.

Larry Baker – Charlene’s new partner in Robbery-Homicide; also, her dad’s former partner.

Their Team – Berkley, Harris, Brady.

Their Cases – Domestic call (little girl, Lauren), Celebrity Slayer, Professor case.

Captain – Ronald Dunbar.

Andy – Charlene’s on again/off again boyfriend.

This is book one in Mr. Murphy’s Charlene Taylor series. After reading this one, I moved right into book two, Rock-A-Bye Baby. I was interested to see if his tone carried over into this second book. It did.

Normally, I do not compare one author to another, because I believe every author has a voice, but I feel compelled to compare Mr. Murphy to one of my favorite ladies, Danielle Girard, her Schwartzman series, in the sense they both have strong female detectives in their stories. I plan to read Mr. Murphy’s second series, Calvin Watters, and look forward to following his writing career over the years. In my estimation, he is one to watch as I suspect his writing ability is only going to get better as he continues in his career.