True Crime

Lou Tredesco is a middle-aged ex-ball player and current newspaper movie-and-restaurant critic for the STUMPTOWN WEEKLY. He drives to the neighboring seacoast town of Seagirt, Oregon to cover the premier opening of a vintage movie house. The time is July 1997. Unknown to Lou, the double murder of two lovers has occurred, and, always the inquisitive reporter, he's drawn into its twisty investigation. Lou soon befriends Hilda Truaxe, the editor of the local newspaper, and a romance strikes up. As a rule, I tend to prefer my mysteries darker, but this title was a sure winner. I enjoyed the newspaper reporter aspects: what's like to write a features article and meet a deadline. The woo-woo element (a fortuneteller who moonlights as a crime investigation psychic) is low-keyed and skillfully stitched into the plotline. A widower, Lou who also walks with a gimp from his pro athlete days is human and humane -- just a good guy you can root for. The violence and sex is also toned down, and the extra space is devoted to creating the small Oregon town millieu. This is a brisk read with solid characters and a colorful setting -- perfect company for a couple of days at the beach.

If you love mystery, Oregon, a good restaurant review and cast of characters that will leave you wanting seconds that are not sloppy, then pick up this tasty recipe for murder!

Once he was an investigative reporter and minor league ballplayer but Lou Tedesco started on a downward spiral when he began a dependency on alcohol to keep him functioning. Now he is a sober movie and food critic for Portland, Oregon's Stumptown Weekly. His current assignment is to cover the opening of the Bijou, a renovated movie theater in Seagirt that will show the classics. When he arrives in the small town, he finds no vacant motel rooms as the media occupies everything while covering the double homicide of locals Shelley Korta and Larry Narz. The couple was executed on the nearby beach where he was proposing to her. Lou meets Shelley's mother at the spot where the murders occurred; he promises her he will not allow this to become a cold case due to official incompetence. He makes inquiries that lead to a beating, death threats, and a poorly designed frame that coaxes Lou to work even harder to unmask the villain. Alan Gold has written an exciting crime thriller focusing on a town determined to keep its skeletons buried vs. an as obstinate reporter determined to uncover the truth. The hero accepts help from any source including the Office of the DA, a psychic, and the editor of the local paper (who he also romantically likes). Lou's persistence is the only hope that the culprit behind the tragedy will be caught. If TRUE CRIME is an indication, Mr. Gold has a long time running series to please readers. Harriet Klausner