THE FITZGERALD RUSE

The second installment of the Sam Blackman mystery series finds the former military CID officer opening a private detective firm in Asheville, North Carolina, with his professional (and romantic) partner, Nakayla Robertson. If eclectic Asheville had a voice, it would sound like the understated Southern accent chosen by narrator William Dufris. His slow pace reflects the region; however, a faster speed would have aided the plot, which is a bit slow to start. It’s worth hanging in to see Blackman search for a long-lost F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript. Dufris struggles to make a few of the female characters sound believably feminine but does a perfunctory job with co-detective Nakayla. Intrigue surrounding the military contractor Blackwater makes the story especially timely. J.T. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2009]