Review: Dead Ruby Slippers by Sandra Sookoo

Dead Ruby Slippers by Sandra Sookoo

Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating: 1

Blurb

Dancing may be hard…but no one expected it to be murder.

When sexy tap dancer Abigail Carlton, aka Ruby Slippers, is found dead and arranged in an artistic fashion on her coffee table it’s up to Special Agent Quentin Banks to solve her murder.

But nothing is ever as it seems. Not only is Quentin a FBI career man, he doubles as an officer for the Institute of Magical Instruction…and the dancer’s death has super natural energy written all over it.
Quentin must find who murdered Abigail and he only has24 hours to do it before it’s taken over by his superiors.



Kylie’s Review

Dead Ruby Slippers takes a classic whodunit and adds a magical twist. Sandra Sookoo sucks you in and has you guessing until the very end. Was it the friendly rival from high school, the ex-fiancé, the money hungry manager, or the soon to be ex-partner?

Special Agent Quentin Banks, FBI and MEL (Magical Enforcement League), is haunted by his past, and to cope has adopted an outer shell of all work and no play. With the help of his assistant Sarah, who has the brash honesty and self-assuredness that can only be obtained by a woman of a certain age, they must unravel the mystery of who murdered Ruby Slippers. Agent Banks must sort through a motley crew of frenimies, scorned lovers, and a blackmailer, to find a murderer. Rivaling for position as suspect #1 is Jillian Pearson, who has a history with Ruby dating back to high school, and some secrets of her own, but is she capable of murder.

Quentin and Jillian are drawn together by murder, magic and maybe something more. While there are romantic elements to the story, it is at heart a paranormal mystery. Sandra provides a story with well-written and engaging characters, who remain true to themselves and the story. While there is an attraction between Jillian and Quentin, there is no frenzied sex while the body is in the next room, or declarations of love after having known each other for mere hours. Jillian and Quentin learn about one another as we do, through the course of the investigation. While Jillian and Quentin learn about each other, we are given glimpses into the relationship between Sarah and Quentin. Sarah and Quentin play off of each other beautifully, providing comic relief in a situation where not much seems funny.

Sandra Sookoo’s characters bring to life the depth and complexities of the human spirit. Dead Ruby Slippers is an engaging tale of murder, mystery, magic and love. It proves, once again, that good triumphs and that justice should not only be blind, but also poetic.

4 Tea Cups!