Claire Applewhite's Blog
July 4, 2013
Kirkus-St. Louis Hustle
St. Louis Hustle by Claire ApplewhiteReview
Kirkus' Review
ST. LOUIS HUSTLE by Claire Applewhite
A fledgling detective agency's assignment to investigate a cheating husband uncovers betrayals beyond adultery.
Grapevine Investigations confirms the infidelity quickly at the Coral Court Motel, which soon winds up with more people spying from the bushes than cavorting behind closed doors. Grapevine's investigators aren't the only people interested in the activities at this hot-sheets motel that caters to surgeons and hookers alike. But when Coral Court's clients and staff begin getting murdered, the private investigation collides with a criminal one. Although the action is fast-paced, Applewhite (Crazy for You, 2010, etc.) is at her best when she focuses on her characters. Many of the characters are compelling as they struggle against what is perhaps the most insidious form of deception--self-deception; the belief that one drink won't hurt, that a married lover will commit, that the right hairstyle can reverse time. Applewhite isn't afraid to stretch the boundaries of noir fiction, as when she saddles a glamorous adulteress with the daily care of two young children. These kinds of odd juxtapositions add interest and depth, even if they occasionally fall flat (a wealthy doctor drinking expensive cognac from a crystal decanter in a $25 hotel room). There are times when the book seems to neglect opportunities for humor and drama; a mishap at the Coral Court Motel in which a cheating husband and his cheating wife are accidentally sent to the same room goes nowhere.
An uneven but overall enjoyable read.
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Kirkus Review-Candy Cadillac
Candy Cadillac by Claire ApplewhiteKirkus' Review
CANDY CADILLAC
The dark streets of St. Louis star in this compelling third installment of the ’Nam Noir series (St. Louis Hustle, 2011; The Wrong Side of Memphis, 2009) by mystery author Applewhite.
Seeking respite from his anxiety, Cobra visits creepy Dr. Jules Derry. When it becomes clear this unlicensed physician longs to perform on humans the sort of testing he does on animals, Cobra and Elvin Suggs, his colleague from the Grapevine Detective Agency, flee Derry’s clinic. At their shared home, Dimond (Di) Redding, the third agency member, apprehensively observes the activities of their new neighbors, local gangsters by the name of Tattaglia. Unlike most people, Elvin takes being greeted by a gun while making a “welcome to the neighborhood” visit in stride. Helen, yet another neighbor and daughter-in-law of the un-neighborly Tattaglias, enlists the agency’s help to determine whether her in-laws have a hit out on her. Meanwhile, sexy Barbara Lacey is attracting attention at the Night and Day Bar, which leads to her being shot and killed in the alley out back. Investigating her death, Det. Reggie Combs reveals a whole cast of exotic dancers with temptingly sweet monikers such as Candy Rapper and Lolli Popp—and even more surprising ties to other characters. As the number of murder victims and break-ins in their neighborhood mount, Reggie, Cobra and Elvin dig deeper, but Di’s inexplicable fascination with Derry distracts her. Applewhite’s St. Louis setting steals the show, as her offbeat characters too often cross the line from idiosyncratic to purely strange. Outlandish names manage to confuse more than entertain, and secondary characters from previous books further baffle readers new to the series. Vulnerable Di, a 50something widow with a lot of looks and life still in her, is the most charismatic, challenged only by Vanna the Airedale. Applewhite would benefit by applying her skills to editing her cast of characters, so the reader can get by without taking notes.
Taut writing, memorable characterization and a superbly evocative setting.
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March 22, 2012
A Crystal of Hope
If you had a crystal ball, (or could get your hands on one,) how would you react?
Let’s for a moment assume that for five seconds, that ball could reveal the highest and lowest points of your entire life. Now, would you want to see it?
Alfred Hitchcock once said, “If we knew the outcome of everything in life, most of the zest would go out of living. In other words, we can live in a state of chronic despair, or we can live with faith in the future, even though it is hidden from us."
Perhaps you should ask yourself, what am I giving up? What am I receiving in return? If your future is filled with great success, have you diminished the thrill by erasing the element of surprise? Could you face a future filled with disappointment?
Let’s for a moment assume that for five seconds, that ball could reveal the highest and lowest points of your entire life. Now, would you want to see it?
Alfred Hitchcock once said, “If we knew the outcome of everything in life, most of the zest would go out of living. In other words, we can live in a state of chronic despair, or we can live with faith in the future, even though it is hidden from us."
Perhaps you should ask yourself, what am I giving up? What am I receiving in return? If your future is filled with great success, have you diminished the thrill by erasing the element of surprise? Could you face a future filled with disappointment?
