Go Close Against the Enemy

If you haven't read one of the 2 books in the series, I highly recommend you do so. The authors have owned restaurants and are now using that knowledge to write entertaining books. The couple in the story own a restaurant in the south. The husband is Greek. They have hired a Greek friend of his who speaks less English. This couple find themselves in many "jams" but always seem to find their way out. A very likeable couple and an easy reading book.

I've read the first in the series (So Dear to Wicked Men) and loved it for its clever plot and funny characters. This one (Go Close Against the Enemy) is even better. The characters are still funny and the plot still clever and there is an added seriousness that is thought provoking and at times heart-wrenching. I highly recommend this book.

Racism is openly flourishing in Delphi, Georgia. This becomes acutely evidenced at the funeral of a stillborn. April McNabb, daughter of the town preacher, married a black man in defiance of her father's commands. Although he disowns her for this sacrilege, he supports her when she wants her baby buried in his churchyard. However, Deacon Walter Fry objects, wanting the infant buried in the black cemetery. During the burial, a demonstrative and ugly protest occurs. April pushed to the limit, fires a shot at Fry, but misses. However, Fry is soon found murdered and April is arrested for the crime. She calls on her friend Julia Lambros to help her since Julia has successfully conducted a murder investigations before. Though she and her spouse are having problems with an IRA agent, she decides to help her friend. Her snooping places Julia in danger from an individual who wants to remain anonymous. In SO CLOSE AGAINST THE ENEMY, the victim has many people wishing him dead who also have the means and opportunity to kill him. This makes the story line very complex and difficult to solve. The protagonists are a working class couple whom strikes an immediate chord with the audience. Takis and Judy Iakovou demonstrate that racism is a destructive force that can tear apart a town. This enjoyable book tells a good story while making a powerful social statement. Harriet Klausner