Grand Slam Murders (A Bridge to Death Mystery)

Mysteries are my favorite genre--and yet, I had stopped reading them because too often they were too predictable. So when this new series from R.J. Lee was released I might not have considered reading it, except that the author is from the quirky town of Natchez, MS and uses Natchez as a model for his fictional town of Rosalie.By the time I finished reading the first 25 pages I was completely hooked, and I ended up staying up until 2AM to finish the book! I was certain that I had solved the mystery--no only did I have a character pegged as the murderer, I had the motive figured out too. But I was wrong! So very wrong!This charming mystery has an ending that will amaze and astonish you.If you like mysteries, please do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy of Grand Slam Murders--you won't be sorry!

Coming from a Bluff City with a striking resemblance to fictional Rosalie, I felt like I knew these characters. There were the "haves" and the "have nots" - high society and common folk. R. J. Lee has done a remarkable job pulling off "Grand Slam Murders." I thoroughly enjoyed reading about The Gin Girls and their offspring, about the bridge club and its restricted membership. I understood the struggle of aspiring journalist, Wendy Winchester, trying to be accepted as a serious investigative reporter in a "man's world." And I felt for Merleece Maxique who served the same family for over twenty years and was still treated like an outsider, or Arden Wilson, who inherited his father's job as gardener for the wealthy Rose family.So, when the Gin Girls are all murdered by potassium cyanide poisoning, of course the populace of the Southern town want to blame the murder on the person of color or the lowly gardener. Only Wendy Winchester knew it couldn't be true. But you, also, will be surprised to learn who the real murderer is! You've just got to read this one!

I was expecting a Cozy Mystery, characters I might like and whom I might enjoy hating, a surprise or two, and a nice comforting forumla. What I got was so much more. These are characters I want to know, and it's a good thing there are more books in the series! I was impressed by how well the author spoke from different points of view, whether race, gender, or age. What was most important was how the author addresses race, the endemic of racism and bigotry as "culture," and police relationships across racial lines. What might have been a light summer (or pandemic) read is an important, timely book that helps all of us look at who we are. And a whole lot of fun.

Grand Slam Murders (New York: Kensington, 2019), by R. J. Lee, is an entertaining novel about a young female journalist named Wendy Winchester. The story follows Wendy as she solves a mystery involving the simultaneous deaths of four elderly women. The book contains several memorable characters. In addition, it has all the elements that one expects in a well-written work of detective fiction. Grand Slam Murders is set in a Mississippi town called Rosalie. According to the June 2018 issue of Kirkus Reviews, the book is “dripping in Southern charm” (214). A sense of Southern culture is expressed, for example, in how the female characters are referred to as “Miz Liddie,” “Miz Stella,” and so forth. In the first chapter, four wealthy widows are shown playing cards so they can practice for a bridge tournament. Liddie Rose is the leader of the group, which is known around town as the Gin Girls. Suddenly, the women go into convulsions and drop dead on the spot.The prime suspects in the case are Merleece Maxique, Liddie’s black maid, and Arden Wilson, Liddie’s gardener. However, Wendy Winchester is convinced that Merleece is innocent. The book is interesting to read because of Wendy’s appealing nature. As claimed in the December 17, 2018 review of Publishers Weekly, Grand Slam Murders is an enjoyable work because it has an “attractive protagonist” (123). Wendy is described by Lee as a physically attractive character, who is “tall, slim, and soft-spoken with a disarming smile” (22). In addition, Wendy holds the reader’s attention because of how she thinks and what she does. After studying journalism in college, she has accepted a job writing the society column for the local newspaper, The Rosalie Citizen, which she regards as boring and “a waste of her abilities” (25). Wendy is a compelling character because she is ambitious and wants more adventure in her life. When the Gin Girls are murdered, Wendy is assigned to interview their families and write pieces about their lives, which results in her life being in danger. R. J. Lee’s novel is worth reading because it demonstrates the author’s skill as a storyteller. Throughout the work, readers are kept in suspense, wondering what will happen next. The book culminates with the payoff of an unexpected twist at the end. The protagonist is a character that readers can easily sympathize with. In addition, Lee creates unique personalities in his depiction of the novel’s various minor characters. Grand Slam Murders successfully draws readers into the story of Wendy’s effort to rescue her friend Merleece from incarceration while simultaneously solving a complicated and puzzling mystery.

Disappointing, I really thought I would enjoy this more. The idea was interesting and really had potential. The story drags, most information comes from overly busy interviews. It is hard to get a real grasp on the characters. I do not plan on buying any more of this series.

I began this book by saying (to myself), "but I don't know much about the game of bridge". I knew only that the game had something to do with north, south, east and west and that it was played with cards. As I began reading the first chapter, I was quickly caught up in the characters, southern atmosphere and charm, the crime/deaths, and...the game of bridge. Needless to say, my lack of knowledge of the game of bridge was quickly forgotten as I raced through the book to find out who "had done it"! A very entertaining mystery with a surprising ending. You just gotta read this one!

I enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting and some crazy.A little predictable but a good time getting to the end.

Suspenseful until the very end! There were twists and turns that no one saw coming, yet each one became an intricate piece in a delightful puzzler of a mystery. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great “Who Dunit!”

Grand Slam Murders was a long rather drawn out story. It was an ok read but definitely not a favourite. The characters needed to be fleshed out more and the story tightened up.

If you are looking for something light, good for a holiday read. I personally didn’t like it and I thought it was unnecessarily long. I wouldn’t recommend it to a voracious reader