[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Portrait of a Dead Guy

Larissa Reinhart loves small town characters with big attitudes, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble. Her Cherry Tucker Mystery series, beginning with PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (Henery Press), received a 5/5 Star review from the Examiner.com, is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, a 2012 The Emily finalist, and a 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial finalist. The second book, STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW, arrives in May 2013 followed by HIJACK IN ABSTRACT. A Cherry Tucker prequel will appear in a December 2013 mystery anthology, THE HEARTACHE MOTEL.

After moving around the midwest, the South and Japan, Larissa now lives in Georgia with her husband, daughters, and Biscuit, a Cairn Terrier. When she's not writing about Southern fried chicken, she writes about Asian fried chicken at her blog about life as an ex-expat athttp://theexpatreturneth.blogspot.com. You can find Larissa chatting on Facebook on her author page; on Twitter as RisWrites; and on Goodreads. She loves pinning on her Cherry Tucker and other boards at Pinterest.

Portrait of a Dead Guy, A CHERRY TUCKER MYSTERY Book #1

by Larissa Reinhart

Synopsis:

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

Our Review by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

Portrait of a Dead Guy is a delightful, light-hearted Southern mystery with lovable characters, fantastic dialogue and a truly fun story!

Beyond the fun mystery, my favorite part of the book was the undeniably 'real' cast - A strong, independent and quirky leading lady who will make you shake your head at the binds she gets herself into without even trying, the two men after her heart - the heartthrob rocker who may or may not be adorably clueless, and the sexy rich boy who may or may not have a heart of gold underneath the spoiled brat facade, Cherry's loving yet dysfunctional family, and the delightful residents of the small town who round out the charming setting perfectly.

The story itself is fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns, and yet steady enough to not cause confusion. I did ultimately figure out the 'who-dun-it' myself, but it was gradual, and completely enjoyable as each new secret was unveiled. It was also incredibly refreshing, unique and engaging from the very beginning.

While I generally don't like to do comparisons, especially if the book was beautiful in its own right (which this one was!), I think it might help readers... The book had a bit of a 'Stephanie Plum', or Lexi George (without the paranormal) feel.

Portrait of a Dead Guy really has everything a good book should have and I would definitely recommend it.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives book #1 of this exciting new series 4 Skulls.

Portrait of a Dead Guy