Fairway to Heaven

Roberta Isleib has delivered suspense, romance, murder, and mayhem in her latest Cassie Burdette mystery. Writing with authority, wit, an eye for authentic detail, and an ear for crisp dialogue, Ms. Isleib has created a compelling story with a very appealing protagonist. In Fairway to Heaven, Cassie finds herself involved in a golf tournament that is occurring during the same week as festivities leading up to a wedding in which she is maid of honor. When the bride's father disappears and one of his political enemies is murdered, Cassie turns amateur sleuth. The plot twists and turns, as well as evolving complications in Cassie's relationship with boyfriend Mike Callahan and in the bride's relationship with the groom, kept me up late turning the pages. Ms. Isleib has once again demonstrated her talent for creating riveting psychological mysteries. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to Cassie's next adventure.

Cassie Burdette is doing double duty as she heads off to Pinehurst, North Carolina. Not only is she joining her previously estranged father and cranky boyfriend to play in a team golf tournament, but she has agreed to be maid of honor in a friend's lavish wedding celebration. A series of events leads to two dead bodies and the sudden disappearance of the father of the bride. Despite the obvious damper this puts on the bride's showers and other events, the family decides to go ahead with the schedule and be vague about why the father of the bride is MIA. Cassie has been involved in murder and mayhem in the past and can't stop herself from poking around the current situation. As Cassie ponders the clues in the case, she must also ponder her relationship with the boyfriend Mike and with her father and his second family. The title is not only a catchy one for a golf mystery, but also is a poignant reminder of a memorial statue of the late gold Payne Stewart at Pinehurst. This novel is the fourth in a series that is on a winning streak. Cassie Burdette is an engaging, empathetic protagonist who uses wit and humor to deal with the sand traps of life. Even if your only golf experience revolves around putt-putt, you will learn a little more about golf and a lot about human nature in FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN as well as the other three books in this entertaining series.

Isleib's golf pro, Cassie Burdette, is having a really bad week. First, she agreed to be the maid of honor for her friend, Jeanine, and second, she's playing in a tournament the same weekend with her formerly estranged father, Chuck, and her boyfriend, Mike, as her teammates. And, the way things are going, Cassie doubts her relationship with moody Mike, who has been having trouble with his swing, will last. Just as Cassie figures things can't get much worse, the bride's father disappears, followed by a ransom note that warns the family not to contact the police. However, Cassie, who was let in on the note and sworn to secrecy, begins to investigate, despite her firm belief that the police should be involved. What she finds puts not only her own life but the lives of those close to her in danger. If she survives, however, there is a possibility of a new relationship - an incentive of sorts, I suppose. I think this is Isleib's best yet. She writes well, Cassie is a believable, flawed character, and the relationships ring true. As always, there is a glossary of golf terms for the non-golfers among us. As a non-golfer, I do not find that the game and its terminology detracts at all from the story.

Family intrigue comes to the fore in Roberta Isleib's latest mystery starring professional golfer and amateur slueth, Cassie Burdette. Cassie is forced into the role of maid-of-honor in her friend Jeanine's country club wedding in swanky Pinehurst, NC. Cassie is supremely (and hilariously) unsuited to the traditional tasks of tending to the bride's gown and flowers, but she comes in very handy when the bride's father is kidnapped days before the wedding. She uses her knowledge of the golfing scene and her keen powers of observation to track down the errant father, uncovering some dirty secrets along the way. In the dramatic finale, Cassie's pluck and ingenuity save the day. Cassie continues to grow as a character and as a slueth--don't miss this installment of her adventures!

This book starts with Cassie Burdette visiting her shrink. One of her issues is that she's agreed to be bridesmaid for a friend, Jeanine, on the same weekend that she's playing golf in a tournament with her father, who left her mother for another woman when she was young, and her boyfriend who she's not getting along with very well. The first 40 to 50 pages are rough going because we are bombarded with characters, the bride to be, her family including a lecherous father and a bossy aunt, the fiance's family, Cassie's own family, father, step-mother and stepbrothers. It was difficult to keep track of who was who, and I almost gave up, but was glad I didn't because then there was an accidental death, the bride's father disappeared, an enemy of his got shot at a wacky bridal shower where the guests were required to wear costumes, and Cassie got picked up for drunk driving after a beer and a half, by an over-zealous woman cop. The book became a page-turner that I could not put down. Cassie did find herself in danger a couple of times, but it wasn't caused by her own stupidity. I especially liked that and that she always had the help of two dependable cohorts, Laura, a friend and caddy, and Joe, a sports psychologist. As neither a player nor a viewer of golf, the tournament setting was not a problem, but might be an enhancement for golfing fans. There is a handy glossary at the end to help with unfamiliar golf terms, such as yips, one I did look up.