In The Bad Always Die Twice (Kensington Books: Aug. 30, 2011), the first title in her new Nikki Harper mystery series, Cheryl Crane combines her personal knowledge of Hollywood with a humorous objectivity about its residents. Nikki Harper derives both her career and her film star mother from Crane, a realtor who is also the daughter of Lana Turner.
Nikki Harper rushes to the defense of her friend and real estate business partner, Jessica Martin, when Jessica becomes the prime suspect in the "second" death of aging television actor Rex March. Rex’s corpse has been found in Jessica’s bed; however six months earlier Rex was also reported dead when his small plane crashed in the Mojave Desert.
Nikki takes on the project of finding Rex’s killer herself because she distrusts the ability of the police to do so. She knows that years earlier they failed to find the man who murdered her own father.
Believing Jessica to have been framed, Nikki considers each of Rex’s associates a suspect in his death. Rex’s widow, Edith, has already begun an affair with the much younger Thompson Christopher, whom Nikki describes as "a man who didn’t seem to understand the difference between a first name and a last." Rex’s lawyer and agent, Alex Ramirez, has mob connections, and a Southern waitress called Tiffany Mathews appears to be the latest in a long list of women Rex had loved and left.
Nikki’s mother, 1950s film legend Victoria Bordeaux, soon decides to take an active part in Nikki’s investigation and proves to be as talented a detective as her daughter. Also assisting Nikki are a number of her Hollywood friends, including leading man Marshall Thunder and Marshall’s partner, L.A. police detective Rob Bastone.
Coincidence plays a role in Nikki’s crime solving as well. A post office clerk Nikki meets happens to know that one of her suspects will soon be leaving the country; the woman in the stall next to Nikki in the country club’s restroom has information about him too.
The overuse of coincidence and Crane’s lamentable lack of skill in capturing a Southern accent are two minor drawbacks in The Bad Always Die Twice which are more than redeemed by this author’s ability to create appealing characters, always a key test for future books in a series. Both Nikki Harper and Victoria Bordeaux are drawn with compassion and humor.
Although the relationship between Nikki and Victoria is not without problems, it is often amusing. Early in the book, when Nikki grumbles about the "revolving door of nannies" who populated her childhood, her mother tells her to just "spare me the Joan Crawford guilt trip and tell me about your day."
Far from a stereotypical Hollywood brat, Nikki is portrayed as a loving daughter and a generous friend who is constantly embarrassed by the wealth and glamour which defined her childhood. Nikki can now look with laughter on the pretentions of Hollywood.
For example, while talking with a waiter whose overly dramatic style leads her to ask, "Are you, by any chance, an actor?" she learns that he indeed is – and that his most recent role was that of a dancing dollar sign. Similarly, when confronted by her informative neighbor talking to her from the next toilet stall, Nikki contemplates "the etiquette called for in this scenario" and decides she should "tinkle quietly."
The Bad Always Die Twice provides a promising start to Crane’s Nikki Harper series. Crane’s skillful depiction of Nikki Harper and Victoria Bordeaux guarantees that readers will want to meet them again.
FTC disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by BookTrib.com
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