The Little Death

Book 10 in the Louis Kincaid series published 2014<br /><br />An enjoyable 4 star read.<br /><br />This my first time reading P.J. Parrish, whom it turns out are two sisters.<br />Why start with book 10? Well it just happened to be there, one more book among many, waiting to be read so why not.<br />It turned out to be a very entertaining read and I’m now sorry that it has taken me so long to get to P.J. Parrish.<br /><br />The main protagonist, Louis Kincaid, an ex-cop and a black ex-cop to boot but is now working as a P.I.<br />Louis arrives in, a very upmarket, Palm Beach. He has been hired to prove the innocence of a local male socialites who has been charged with the decapitation murder of his house mate.<br />Louis has never felt more out of place than he does in Palm Beach. Not only does he not have more money than you poke a stick at but he’s black and asking personal questions from wealthy white people. This is one job he now wished he had turned down.<br /><br />But never being one to back down Louis pushes on and slowly but surely a picture starts to form and a pretty unsavoury one at that. <br />These people might have money but that doesn’t stop them being bottom dwellers.<br /><br />As Louis digs away it becomes clear that this murder is not the first, he has found another two all with the same MO, headless young white males. <br />To get to the truth Louis has to battle, not only, the hedonistic locals but also the local police, who are hell bent on making things as difficult as possible for Louis.<br /><br />An interesting aspect of the story, for me, was that the authors being sisters, therefore females, chose to paint the ladies of this story in the most unflattering light imaginable. It was nice to see the other side of the coin for a change. As a much maligned mere male this did my bruised ego a power of good.<br /><br />My first P.J. Parrish but sure not to be my last.

Another excellent read in this series, hard to believe it is the next to the last one, not counting the 10.5 novella. Louis Kincaid is still doing the PI gig and hooks back up with Ex-Miami PD dectective Mel Landeta to head over to Palm Beach to help an old acquaintance of Mel's. This case takes them into the world of what appears to be male walkers (escorts), but turns out to be so much more involving the rich and famous of Palm Beach where money will buy you anything. It seemed to me there was a bit of unfinished business at the end of this one for Louis and one of the suspects which was different and I hope gets wrapped up in the next one.

I was so impressed by Parrish’s A Thousand Bones, and the main character, Joe Frye (a beautiful and smart female cop), that I went looking for other works by them (P. J. Parrish is really two sisters who collaborate), and I found this, which is about Louis Kinkaid, Joe’s lover, who used to be a cop in Michigan but now is a private investigator in Florida. It turns out that this book comes in chronological sequence after that other, when Joe has gone back to Michigan and Louis is still working in Florida. The situation is that Mel Mendeta, a retired cop who is a friend of Louis’s, gets asked by someone he had helped many years ago to come help him again: Reggie Kent, an aging male walker (read that as low-key gigolo) in Palm Beach, is suspected of having murdered his gay lover, who is found headless in an abandoned corral. It happens that Mel has AMD (so do I, so I can empathize with him) so that his eyesight prevents him from operating effectively, so he asks Louis to look into the matter. When Louis and Mel drive over to Palm Beach to look into it, Louis finds Palm Breach a little different--especially when he is given a ticket for driving an ugly car and one of the leading socialites takes him home and to bed. Many of the other characters are a bit bizarre, including a lady Senator with sex problems, a dilettante police force under strange political pressures from the wealthy Palm Beach citizens, and a cowman (he does not like to be called a cowboy; my brother was one down there, and he rather relished the term, himself). The plot is sufficiently complex to be interesting and the book is a good read, but I found the Joe Frye character more interesting.<br />

I absolutely loved this book. I have read almost every book in the series with the exception of The killing song, Claw Back and Heart of Ice. P.J. Parrish is the only author I have read and will only read a series of their books. Its hard to follow a series because it could get boring after a while but PJ Parrish series of books hasn't. The cases Louis always manages to be on don't always have a happy ending. That's what I loved most about this book. It took me until the very last minute before the author revealed who did the killing to figure it out who it was. I was so surprised and this book had so many twists and turns. I could definitely see this happening in the rich neighborhoods of America. I love the character Louis because he is such a well written character. I tried to figure out this book but I couldn't it and because of that it had me on the edge of my seat. I suggest reading all the other books in the series to understand how Louis operates and how he feels about most people and situations.

I miss the ridiculous relationship between Louis and Joe. But I did enjoy more between Mel and Louis. Kind of solidifying their friendship. I can't say I'm a fan of Palm Beach and the creatures that live there. Which may explain why thus wasn't my favourite Kincaid novel. I didn't seem to care who offer who and who would go to jail or perchance die. Reggie was too wussy for me and I found him rather unlikeable.

A very nasty case has Lois Kincaid , on the hunt in a very tight circle of the elite. Lonely woman, crooked cops , money and murder, makes it another 5 star read. Oh how the wealthy can fall from grace.

I really enjoyed this book, a good read and I will look forward to reading more. Due to the time this book was written actual detective work was needed. No moblie phones or instant databases to hand just a really good honest investigation.

First time that I have read these authors. Kept me locked into the book. I like the two main characters.

Private eye Louis Kincaid has found himself rudderless, and, without really agreeing to it, is now in the middle of a sordid Grand Society murder case in Palm Beach.<br /><br />His partner, Mel, talks him into talking to a potential client. Reggie Kent is a walker, that old-school escort of Grand Society Dames who never, ever, ever gets notions beyond his role. Reggie was mentoring a young man who he genuinely cared for, but who brushed him off. Mark Durand is found without his head in a Florida cattle pen. Reggie is an easy suspect to a homophobic detective.<br /><br />The foreman of the ranch where the body is found doesn't want anyone intruding. Society in Palm Beach certainly doesn't want anyone intruding. The Palm Beach police not only don't want anyone intruding, Kincaid is ticketed for having an ugly car. And the sheriff's detective who actually is investigating the murder doesn't care if anyone tries to intrude, because he thinks he's got his man.<br /><br />So, of course, Kincaid finds himself intruding.<br /><br />During the course of this perfectly paced investigation, Kincaid also finds himself looking into relationships and redemption. His lover, Joe, is busy as a sheriff herself and wants him to want something for himself. So he goes along with the first woman who crooks her finger at him. Mel, who is losing his eyesight, still knows a good thing when he sees it in a tony restaurant bartender. The ranch foreman shows a quiet dignity and strength that has lasted decades. A puppy dog policeman with a too-perfect father and a secret of his own has a superb story arc. And one of Palm Beach's oldest matrons, who calls champagne "shampoo", turns out to be more of a treasure than all her bank accounts combined.<br /><br />Sisters Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols, who are P.J. Parrish, have a smooth writing style that propels the story along, keeping the investigation and new revelations at the fore. At the same time, the story is filled with ideas that make Kincaid himself an extremely interesting person who is on his own journey of discovery.<br /><br />Even though resolution involves some characters going completely over the top, THE LITTLE DEATH ends on a high note with many avenues possible. The next novel in the series cannot come soon enough. And I've already glommed onto the entire backlist.<br /><br />

Set in the opulent community of Palm Beach, where social status is carefully monitored, and residents are judged by the location of their homes, a recent scandal is setting things on edge. A headless corpse has been found in an abandoned cattle pen on a nearby ranch. The accused is a well-known local who is a “walker” (a male escort who accompanies some of the wealthiest ladies in town to society functions). The deceased is believed to be his male companion, who was also bedding some of the ladies in town. And the conclusion is that this is a homosexual lovers quarrel gone wrong.<br /><br />Friend and partner Mel Landeta brings this case to PI Louis Kincaid in an attempt to clear the accused’s name of the crime, who is an acquaintance from his past. In order to do so, however, Kincaid must delve deeply into the machinations of the closed society that is Palm Beach, where he is certainly not a welcomed guest. For his part, Mel has problems with his eyesight, and is certainly a junior partner to Kincaid in this investigation, despite more years of service as a former cop and private investigator.<br /><br />As the two detectives begin to explore the case, not only must they do battle with tight-lipped local residents but also with the cops responsible for solving the case, who want a quick wrap-up (for reasons of both laziness and homophobic feelings toward the supposed perpetrator). As the case expands, it becomes clear that this murder was not an isolated incident and that there is other criminal activity afoot. The title of the book, which refers to a side effect of a sexual act, should indicate where the story is likely to head. Too many bored women with husbands who ignore them leads to major mischief.<br /><br />Interestingly enough the author of this book, PJ Parrish, is actually not one person, but rather two sisters who use a single pen name. Their writing is taut and story driven. Readers of "The Little Death" will find the not only the story convincing but the detective duo charming in a rough and tumble way, an apt contrast to the slick Palm Beach police force. The characters throughout the book are multidimensional and interesting, and the contrast between the workers and the employers in this wealthy