Tangled and Dark

Brenda Strange, Private Investigator extraordinaire is back in the second in the series. Brenda is called upon to investigate the death of a local business woman, Paula Drakes. Brenda's investigation does not run smoothly. Her main suspect is found dead. Her second suspect suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. As well as her investigation, Brenda has to try and patch up her deteriorating relationship with her lover, Tina. As if this isn't enough, there are friendly ghosts and a touch of the paranormal to keep you guessing. There is so much mystery and intrigue in this book, you will not be able to put it down until you've finished it. Another highly enjoyable book from Patty Henderson.

Brenda Strange is back in another adventure that crosses the boundaries of the living and the dead, once again using both worlds to solve the puzzle. Brenda, trying to piece together the shattered remains of her life, a life without Tina, who has gone away to sort things out. So when her friend Kevin asked her to help him out with a case that happened in her neck of the woods, she agrees to at least give it a try. Paula Drakes, a young woman who drowned during a party on a boat owned by Brenda's neighbors, Joan and Stewart and even though the police rule her death a suicide, her sister believes that she was murdered and hires Brenda to prove it. When Brenda talks to Joan, Joan seems to think that Paula is haunting her and when Joan is found dead, Brenda is sure that there is a connection between the two deaths and that both women were murdered by the same person. While she is trying to stay one step ahead of the killer, her parents show up, wanting to spend some time with her before her mother dies and a psychic investigator move in to try to film her ghosts, all of which leads to some interesting conflicts in her life. And when she is sure that she can't handle one more thing, Tina decides that she will pay a visit and talk over things. Told with wit, charm and wonderful scenery descriptions, Henderson has once again woven the natural and the supernatural into a fascinating mystery that transcends time and place.

One of the most vivid and memorable impressions that my mind has on file is that of viewing the western sky at twilight along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida on a clear, crisp winter's evening, particularly in the month of December. The clarity and definition of the solid black silhouettes of the buildings, palms and tree line in the foreground of cobalt blue skies with Venus rising and the hovering lights of aircraft on approach to Tampa International Airport is almost a sacred optical memory that this eight stretch mile of roadway has blessed me with over the past four decades. Tampa author Patty G. Henderson manages to illustrate such magical imagery in her novel "Tangled and Dark". This is Ms. Henderson's third book, and the second to feature her Tampa-based character Brenda Strange, P.I., who was initially featured in the novel "The Burning of Her Sin". Ms. Henderson's first book was "Blood Scent'", an erotic vampire romance novel. In addition to these three books, Ms. Henderson also edits the online fiction magazine "Flash Fantastic" which is shown in the on-line publication "Nolan's Pop Culture Review". In my forays into Florida-noir, I have never read a supernatural romance based mystery novel (although one of Randy Wayne White's offerings has came pretty close on the supernatural though) before, so this was a first time experience for me. "Tangled and Dark" truly lives up to its title. You dare not skip chapters because too much happens here that you need to make note of in order to have a fulfilling trip on the "Patty G. Henderson Express". The premise of the story is about the presumed drowning death of Paula Drakes. As it turns out, Drakes, an activist in the Tampa Gay and Lesbian community, was the lover of Tampa socialite Joan Davis. Both the Tampa Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation believe that Drakes died in a diving accident. Brenda Strange, a Princess Di look-alike private investigator with psychic and intuitive abilities does not believe this. Through supernatural means she believes that Drakes was murdered and Strange will stop at nothing to ensure that her assailant be brought to justice. Strange lives in a house called Malfour, which is inhabited by the spirits of Carlotta and Angelique. Their antics demand the services of paranormal investigator Susan Christie, initially much to Strange's chagrin. Christie is astonished at the intensity of paranormal activity in the old mansion and it becomes apparent to her that Strange is in large part a lightning rod of sorts for these ghostly manifestations. In her efforts to get to the truth of Drakes' death, Strange begins to notice that several people close to Drakes have had vivid dreams of a sea creature that stalks them and when they awaken from their slumber they are shocked to discover wet seaweed in their bedrooms or other parts of their homes! Strange digs deeper and through a web search reads in this very column (PCR #100) about a bi

TANGLED AND DARK continues where BURNING OF HER SIN left off. After an office shooting led Brenda Strange to give up her law career and move to Florida, she now works in Tampa as a private investigator. One of her first cases was the mystery behind the two ghosts now companionably haunting her home. A favor for a friend now has her investigating the drowning of Paula Drakes, a lesbian restaurant owner the police believed died in a diving accident. Things get weird when Brenda discovers that Paula's body disappeared from her grave, a prime suspect gets murdered, and a ghost hunter comes to stay in Brenda's home. The second Brenda Strange mystery proves to be a much tighter story than the previous and Brenda herself emerges as a very engaging character. While running a handmade teddy bear business she is also restoring the historic Malfour home, attempting to repair the rift between herself and her estranged girlfriend, and taking advice from a pair of ghosts. Her Strange Investigations certainly lives up to its name. Despite the paranormal aspects of the story, TANGLED AND DARK can be appreciated for its mystery elements and the pace swiftly moves to an exciting finish. The secondary characters are more developed than they were in the previous mystery in the series, with Cubbie, a former waitress now working as Brenda's secretary, and the attractive and competent Detective Lisa Chambliss standing out. My one problem though, is that I never understood the appeal of Brenda's girlfriend who comes across as being self-centered and selfish. However, Henderson has again revealed herself to be an exciting new author to watch and I look forward to reading the next Brenda Strange mystery (which is hinted at by the end of this novel).

I was so excited when I got my copy of Tangled and Dark in the mail, and I was not disappointed. This mystery takes placed just before Christmas and many things are happening in Brenda's personal life. Her Partner Tina has moved back to NJ and Brenda misses her so much. Tina is coming home for the holidays and Brenda hopes she will be staying. Brenda's Mother is also very ill and she and Brenda's Father are coming to visit. And so is Susan Christie - a paranormal investigator who is coming to study Malfour House. This provides a interesting subplot. Brenda is also investigating the "accidental" death of Paula Drakes. Paula's sister thinks her Sister was murdered and Brenda is out to prove that it was murder. Brenda finally gets to set up her PI office and gets a secretary. As with The Burning of Her Sins, the characters are well fleshed out and I really care about all of them. The mystery is a real page turner and I can not wait for the next installment. Tina and Brenda's loving relationship is well written and hopefully things will get better for them. Patty is a great writer and I hope that all mystery readers - especially those who like Paranormal Mysteries will read and enjoy these books as much as I have. Sue Chuey