Sweet Man Is Gone: A Maxx Maxwell Mystery

Peggy Ehrhart's Sweet Man is Gone hits a great groove. Introducing female amateur sleuth Maxx Maxwell, the novel gives promise of a fine new series that uses music as its backdrop. I confess to being a bit skeptical at first of the use of present tense for the narrative--something more commonly found in "literary" fiction. However, I was soon won over, largely due to the charm of Maxx's voice. Ehrhart also demonstrates a real insider's feel for the world of music: especially the smoky subculture of the blues (though there's jazz, rock, and even some country & western, too). I look forward to more entries in the series.

I loved the title even before I read the book. Sweet man is gone and we want to find out if it was murder or suicide. The police think it's suicide and our heroine thinks it's murder. The story is woven around the jazz scene: the practice rooms, the people, the little clubs where they play while hoping for a break. I enjoyed it all. I can't wait for the next book.

Maxx Maxwell, blues singer by night and waitress by day is a welcome addition to the mystery genre. SWEET MAN IS GONE takes the reader into the world of musicians pouring their souls into a beloved form of music unique to American culture. Jimmy Nashville has fallen or been pushed from his apartment window just before Maxx Maxwell arrives to pick him up for a career opening gig. The show must go on, but when Maxx arrives at the Hot Spot someone has called and cancelled their performance. Maxx is convinced Jimmy's death isn't an accident, but the police won't listen to her. The pace runs with Dom's drum roll as Maxx struggles to save both her band, Maxximum Blues and prove to the detective that investigate the death he overlooked a few clues. Let's hear it for Peggy Ehrhart and Maxx; we look forward to the next session. Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

Reviewed by Wendy Cleveland for Reader Views (5/08) Maxx Maxwell works by day at the Seafood Chalet in Hackensack, New Jersey. But, at night, she is a Manhattan blues club singer for her band Maxximum Blues. One night at a gig, her guitarist Jimmy Nashville starts singing the Muddy Waters tune "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone," and asks Maxx "Would you miss me if I was gone?" This line starts the rollercoaster ride of Peggy Ehrhart's novel "Sweet Man Is Gone." When Maxx goes to Jimmy's apartment to pick him up for their next gig, she sees a bunch police and ambulance blocking the roadway. When she comes closer to see what happened, she discovers that Jimmy fell to his death from his apartment window. The police want to rule this as a suicide since there was no evidence indicating foul play. Maxx finds it hard to believe that her friend would commit suicide so she starts her own investigation while still trying to hold her band together. Along the way, she runs into some shady characters like the "tall man" who was harassing Jimmy at the club, Jimmy's girlfriend Monique (who has her own issues), Stan, the jilted guitar player that Maxx fired and replaced him with Jimmy, Bart, who's trying to raise money for his concert "Blues from the Heart" as well as her own band mates, Michael, Dom, and Neil who are ready to quit. While reading this cozy mystery, I enjoyed Maxx's "Jersey" sassiness as she interacts with all of the characters (including Jimmy's neighbor "Helen" - who was a hoot) who may or may not have anything to do with Jimmy's death. Throughout the book, the clues (cassette tape, guitar pick, box cutter just to name a few) pointed in one direction where you thought you knew the outcome. However, there were so many twists and turns you kept guessing until the last few pages, literally. "Sweet Man Is Gone" was an edge of your seat cozy mystery that left me wanting more of Maxx Maxwell. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend. I was sorry to see it end. Can't wait for the next installment!

Blues singer Maxx Maxwell believes her band Maximum Blues is going to hit the big time ever since guitarist Jimmy Nashville joined the group. After practicing at the Feedback Studio for a gig in the Village, Jimmy gets into a dispute with a tall guy, but nothing comes of it. The next night, Maxx drives from Hackensack to Manhattan to pick up Jimmy and continue on the club where they are performing. Instead she learns Jimmy fell from his ninth floor apartment. She also learns someone cancelled the gig. Unable to resist especially when the cops declare Jimmy committed suicide, Maxx investigates who gave her band the blues. She thinks he was murdered probably by someone who knew him. This is a fun cozy although realistically Maxx has no time nor should be investigating what happened to her guitarist even if she was attracted to him. Still fans will enjoy the merger of music and murder as the heroine is a delightful caring individual who believes she and her blues band can make it while the support cast is solid as they bring to life mostly the music industry from the rarely seen viewpoint of the dire straits struggle of bands trying to make it while the musicians keep their day job. Harriet Klausner