Paint It Black

Every one of these books with Louis Kincaid are so good. Why isn't Oprah or Tyler Perry buying movie rights and making great thrillers about a memorable smart black PI?

In "Paint It Black" Florida author P.J. Parrish brings protagonist Louis Kincaid to Soreno Key in the Sunshine State.Louis Kincaid's former cop boss has hooked Louis up with a local lawyer for some investigative work.His attempt to clear his client of murder leads to a search for a serial killer. Louis and the Soreno Key PD work well together and are joined by a feisty, rookie FBI profiler. This alliance is further strengthened as they attempt to prevent an incompetent county sheriff from botching the investigation.This is an efficient police procedural filled with nifty twists and turns. I bit on enough of the subtle red herrings to remain in doubt until the conclusion."Paint It Black" is nominated for this year's Anthony Award in the Paper Back Original category. Well deserved!This is a smart series with a strong lead character; solid secondary characters and now set in Southwest Florida.I look forward to the further adventures of Louis Kincaid.

In Paint it Black, we once again catch up with Louis Kincaid, this time he's in Florida hunting a vicious serial killer who murders black men in a violent, ritualistic fashion. Louis must overcome the demons in his past, as well as those in his police chief's in order to hunt the killer down.

P.J. Parrish continues to entertain with her police procedurals featuring Louis Kincaid. The pace was good, the story was good, and the suspense was great. I highly recommend.

I picked this up at the airport, and found myself disappointed I had to put it down when we landed. Went right back to it that evening, and enjoyed it tremendously. As far as serial killers go, this killer was unique, and even slightly sympathetic. Parrish gives us a true sense of atmosphere, and he has developed a a likeable, if inexperienced hero who is easy to root for. I do hope Parrish finds a way to educate Kincaid before he manages to get himself killed, though. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a realistic, gruesome thriller.

At twenty-six, his police days seem over so when his former boss in Mississippi Sam Dodie calls to offer him some private work, Louis Kincaid leaves his current home in Michigan for Sereno Bay in the Florida Gold Coast. Sam introduces Louis to attorney Scott Beldsoe who wants the former cop to investigate who killed Walter Tatum, the husband of his client. The local police believe Walter's wife Roberta and her missing brother Levon Baylis committed the murder that looks like a crime of passion. Louis immediately realizes that his black skin got him the job because the white lawyer needs someone to communicate with his difficult black client. A second similar murder of a black man, Anthony Quick, soon occurs. As Louis works closely with Police Chief Wainright, a deadly pattern of a nasty serial killer surfaces, one who must be stopped if the carnage is to end. PAINT IT BLACK is an exciting private sleuth tale that actually reads more like a police procedural because of Louis's background and his cooperative alliance with Wainright. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with non-stop action. Louis is an engaging lead character and the support cast augments the plot by allowing the audience to see the star in different relationships. PJ Parrish has crafted a tense serial killer thriller that sub-genre fans will appreciate and they will want to read Kincaid's previous novel DARK OF THE MOON.Harriet Klausner