Like
all writers, I have to make time to read books, too. I have fairly eclectic
tastes from fiction to fact and back again. My own preferred genre is Regency
romance, but I enjoy thrillers, cozy mysteries, and now Stuart R. West’s Zach
and Zora mysteries. I’ve read several of his books, but Zach and Zora had me
laughing out loud. I get that humour is subjective and what amuses me may leave
you cold, but I found Bad Day in a Banana Hammock a clever read.
On
the face of it, Zach is a self-absorbed dim-wit. Not the most likely character
to arouse my interest, but when he wakes up practically naked in bed beside a
dead guy, I want to know more. Zach’s almost sure he didn’t commit the murder,
but he has no recollection of the previous night. The fact that he’s is a male
dancer (please do not refer to him as a male stripper) and is still wearing his
‘uniform’ adds to the mystery.
The
one person Zach knows will help him is his long-suffering sister, Zora. With
three kids and another on the way, the last thing she wants is to be involved
with Zach’s problems. But he’s her baby brother, and she’s a Private
Investigator, so what can she do but help him? This excerpt pulls it all
together for me as it shows the relationship between the siblings and her way
of handling her kids. If you enjoy this book, check out Murder by Massage and
Nightmare of Nannies. You won’t be disappointed.
*****
With
a diaper bag strapped over her shoulder, Zora hustled Nikki and Justin out the
front door. “Come on, kids. We’re going on an adventure.”
“Adventure,”
parroted Justin.
Nikki,
already the sullen teen before her time, whined, “Mom, what’re we doing? I’m
busy!” “Girl, I don’t wanna hear about busy. Just get in the back seat. Enjoy
the sunshine. Remember what that is?”
“So
stupid!”
“Zach,”
she yelled up the stairs, “Samantha’s already in her seat by the door. Grab her
on the way out.” A task surely even he couldn’t mess up. Then again, when it
came to her brother, all bets were off.
Justin
struggled with his seat, always a battle. No wonder her swear jar had evolved
into a bucket. “Just stay still…almost….there.” Clack.
“Mom,
really, what’re we doing? Why was Uncle Zach naked?”
“He
wasn’t naked, Nikki. Just under-dressed.”
“Is
he in trouble again?”
“No.”
Yes. “We’re just gonna try and help him
with some stuff.” Zora pressed down on the pedal, revving the engine. Hoping to
speed her brother along, never the quickest guy to get things
done. She checked her phone, fully charged and 10:30 a.m. Plenty of time to
clear her brother of murder, get back and have dinner on the table for Phillip
by six.
Despite
the situation, Zora laughed when her brother stumbled out of the house. He had
Samantha’s carrier seat in one hand and kept his pants cinched up with the
other. A belt lapped off the end-loop, a wagging brown tail. The suit looked
like a relic from the ‘80’s, entirely too large and probably never in style.
As
Zach rolled open the back door of the mini-van, he sighed. “I know, right? I
look ridiculous. Doesn’t Phillip own any regular clothes? Jeans, a polo,
anything?”
“Hey,
stylin’ guy, shut up and get in. It’s better than
you waving your…golden sack around town.”
“Golden
sack, golden sack, Uncle Zach has a golden sack!” Justin joined his sister in
song. “Golden sack, gold—”
“Kids,
enough! I don’t wanna hear that again about your uncle!”
“But,
Mom, you said it first!”
“Again.
Not a democracy.” She turned in her seat, double-checking Zach’s strapping in
of Samantha. Unbelievably, a grin threatened to eat his face off. Clearly proud
of the song his niece and nephew had concocted in his golden sack’s honor. No
shame. “Get in, Zach.”
West,
Stuart R.. Bad Day in a Banana Hammock (A Zack and Zora Mystery Book 1) Books
We Love Ltd. Kindle Edition.
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