“Great Party! Sorry about the Murder!” Lives Up to Its Fun Title

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In Great Party! Sorry about the Murder! by D.B. Elrogg, life for private investigator Milo Rathkey of Duluth, Minnesota is about to undergo a major change. One minute he is getting punched by the man he is tailing, and the next he has inherited $15 million and half a huge estate. By the end of the day he has moved into the first floor of Lakesong, where he grew up as the son of the cook, with the second floor’s being occupied by Sutherland McKnight, the son of his benefactor John McKnight. Word of Milo’s windfall spreads quickly among the top tier of Duluth, and by the next day Milo has received an invitation from neighbor Mary Alice Bonner to the New Year’s Eve party of the year.

At the party, Milo meets many prominent businesspeople and some artists and finds the hostess to be as charming as the host is belligerent. As the administrative assistant is getting ready to leave, she picks up the phone and hears someone threaten to kill James Bonner, her boss. When Milo goes to check on Bonner’s well-being, the house owner threatens him with a gun. The next morning, Milo learns that James Bonner has been murdered with his own gun, and Lt. Graham gets Milo to help him solve the murder.

I really had a fun time listening to Great Party! Sorry about the Murder!. The title caught my attention with its creativity, and the story kept me guessing throughout. The plot was incredibly creative, from its premise to its action throughout. I appreciated the many angles and twists of this mystery.

Even better than the mystery plot, though, were the characters and their interaction with each other. It may seem less than credible for a multi- millionaire to leave half his fortune to a man he has seen only once in the 30 years since he left the older man’s home, but Elrogg makes this point believable. Even less likely would be for the son of such a man to happily split his fortune with a man he has never met and invite the man to move into his home, but once again, the situation as set up by Elrogg makes this seem believable as well. The two men grow personally through each other’s influence, with each teaching the other new things about John McKnight and the estate. One fun scene involves a visit to the vault, where the uptight Sutherland discovers his childhood train set and plays with the chef’s younger brothers like a boy once again himself. The pair of men work together to solve the mystery, each using his personal gifts to contribute to the solution.

Tom Lennon performs the audio version of this book, and he is very well suited to the narration of this book. With a gruff baritone voice, Lennon sounds perfect for the role of Milo Rathkey. He uses good expression without going overboard, in the mode of how I picture American golden age mystery books sounding.

I had a really great time listening to Great Party! Sorry about the Murder!. The book had a strong storyline and great characters. My only complaint about the book is that it ends with a cliffhanger, and I strongly dislike cliffhangers, which I feel seeks to manipulate readers into buying the next book. Fortunately, I already had decided that I want to listen to the next book when it comes out, so I give the book five stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the narrator at no cost, but that in no way affected the content of my review.

To purchase this book for yourself, click here on Amazon.

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