Atlanta Graves

The hard-nosed, razor-tongued private investigator in charge of Atlanta's Peachtree Investigations, Sunny Childs sets out to retrieve a stolen painting and ends up with a dead body and an underworld of eccentric suspects. Original.

Readers who approach a new mystery series with caution will be delighted by the debut of Atlanta, Georgia, private investigator Sunny Childs. Sunny is an appealing lead--tough, funny, likable, insecure, and smart. The story, which has Sunny racing against time to solve an art theft and catch a killer before her detective agency defaults on a large bank loan, will have readers turning the pages as fast as they can. The novel's only drawback is its Remington Steelelike premise: Sunny must constantly "front" for the agency's owner, the mysterious Gunnar Brushwood, who is never around when he's needed. Some readers--especially fans of the popular television series--may find this a tad derivative. However, it's worth overlooking, for this is otherwise a top-notch mystery, and the further adventures of Sunny Childs will be most welcome. David Pitt