After reading the synopses to Frederick Ramsay's books, I downloaded two titles to my Kindle because they certainly sounded like the sort of books I enjoy reading. Unfortunately both titles languished there until I happened to attend an author event for his latest book featuring Ike Schwartz (Drowning Barbie). After being completely charmed by his knowledge and wit, I came home and dialed up Artscape.
The mystery is a good one, and I relished the details of how the group of thieves planned to circumvent all the college security measures and steal the collection. Ramsay's writing style made for vivid mental visuals as the chapters flew by. More importantly, the characters-- in particular Sheriff Ike Schwartz, college president Dr. Ruth Harris, and a young female college student-- came to life. Plenty of sparks fly in the early scenes between Schwartz and Harris, and I liked how Schwartz dealt with Harris' razor-sharp tongue and preconceptions. Both characters are complex, and I am really looking forward to future meetings between the two.
This is one series that I really want to follow, and I would recommend that you do, too, if you like well-written, fast-paced mysteries with excellent characterization.
The mystery is a good one, and I relished the details of how the group of thieves planned to circumvent all the college security measures and steal the collection. Ramsay's writing style made for vivid mental visuals as the chapters flew by. More importantly, the characters-- in particular Sheriff Ike Schwartz, college president Dr. Ruth Harris, and a young female college student-- came to life. Plenty of sparks fly in the early scenes between Schwartz and Harris, and I liked how Schwartz dealt with Harris' razor-sharp tongue and preconceptions. Both characters are complex, and I am really looking forward to future meetings between the two.
This is one series that I really want to follow, and I would recommend that you do, too, if you like well-written, fast-paced mysteries with excellent characterization.
