Keith Hirshland

"Song Girl" is a excellent mystery with some unusual characters. Growing up, Reg Byrd could never measure up to his brother Stan. Stan, the studious one, with the good grades. When they both go away to college, Reg gives up trying to be as good as his brother, and gets involved with a local motor cycle gang. The difference between the brothers comes to a head one Thanksgiving, when, after a fight, Reg storms off and kills a cop in anger. The gang leader advises Reg to skip town. However, Reg never learned that old adage about you can't run away from trouble. Trouble follows. He starts a new life in North Carolina. All seems well until his girlfriend becomes pregnant. Reg is on the run again.
Detective Marc Allen is one of the top cops in his homicide unit in North Carolina. However, one case eludes him. He is sure a young woman, Teri, is a killer. But her father takes the blame in a suicide note. Allen decides he needs a change of scene and goes out west.
What are the chances all the major players end up in the same town of Colorado Springs? There, we also meet two young people Hannah and her best friend Rampart. In a freak accident, Hannah suffers a severe brain injury and almost loses her life. Hannah is an interesting case. After coming out from a coma, every word she speaks is in riddles. And what can you say about Teri and her boyfriend? Shades of the old movies, "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" meet "Kalifornia"! Teri starts to stalk Allen and every one involved with him, since she is determined he has to pay.
After several twists and turns and non-stop action, the story comes to an unexpected conclusion.
I especially enjoyed the role Hannah played in the story. I'll leave it at that just to avoid a spoiler. Not only was the novel entertaining, but it also touches on the plight of the homeless, all their hardships in being safe, not only from the elements, finding food to survive, but also from being victims of violent crime. I also liked the setting of the book. I can just imagine waking up in the morning and gazing out of my condo window at Pike's Peak!… (altro)

In The Flower Girl Murder, author Keith Hirshland weaves a riveting mystery/police procedural tale that follows Raleigh N.C. Detective Marc Allen, and veteran news anchor Lancaster Heart as they investigate the unexplained murders that start to pile up in their town.

Author Keith Hirshland provides a multi-layered storyline that has enough mystery, suspense, drama, treachery, secrets, and intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing, while weaving an intricate and complicated web of what the motive of the murders could have been, and the spectrum of possible participants who could have been involved in committing them. And if that isn't enough to captivate the reader, the author adds a wonderful touch of humor and a bit of romance into the mix to keep them entertained.

The Flower Girl Murder is an exciting police procedural/crime mystery story that has realistic characters; witty dialogue and interactions; rich descriptions of the setting that transports the reader to Raleigh, NC, Reno, NV, and Aspen, CO; a fascinating behind the scenes intertwining of police procedural and investigative techniques and the news station on-air news stories and CTA (call to action) segments; and a multi-layered storyline that draws the reader into the interconnection between the main characters as the pieces of the murder investigations puzzle comes together and is solved.

The Flower Girl Murder is the kind of mystery that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!

RATING: 5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Virtual Author Book Tours.

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