3.5
Wings in the Dark
ByPublisher Description
Witty and stylish in the classic Dashiell Hammett tradition, Michael Murphy’s latest high-flying Jake & Laura mystery features a Hawaiian honeymoon that’s interrupted when their friend Amelia Earhart is accused of murder.
Hawaii, 1935. Mystery novelist Jake Donovan and actress Laura Wilson are in gorgeous sun-soaked Hawaii, but their best-laid plans for canoodling on the beach are interrupted by a summons from famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart. It seems a local businessman has been gunned down next to her plane. In just days, the famous pilot intends to fly from Honolulu to Los Angeles, making aviation history over the Pacific. But now, without Jake and Laura’s help, Earhart’s flight might never take off.
Trailing a killer, the newlyweds’ sleuthing leads to a jealous pilot, a cigar-chomping female officer of the “Royalist Militia,” and a notoriously disagreeable lieutenant colonel named Patton. With a sinister killer lurking in the shadows, it’s safe to say the honeymoon is over . . . and the danger has just begun.
Praise for Wings in the Dark
“Wow! . . . An enthralling mystery with strong characters, a complex plot and a fantastic ending tying things together superbly . . . I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and mysteries!”—Splashes Into Books
“The third installment in Murphy’s series is just as much fun as the first. The mystery is full of twists with an ample amount of red herrings, suspects, and action.”—Mystery Please!
“Jake and Laura are a really engaging crime-fighting couple.”—It Takes a Woman
“I heartily recommend the Jake & Laura mysteries, and this book specifically, if you like cozy mysteries that have a flair for the dramatic, a great sense of style, and an epic amount of witty banter. Goes well with fresh-caught seafood, grilled over an open fire on the beach, and drinks served in coconut shells.”—Bibliotica
Praise for Michael Murphy’s Jake & Laura mysteries
“Glittering with a hint of Nick and Nora, Michael Murphy’s 1930s Manhattan provides a witty setting for murder and mayhem.”—Mary Daheim, bestselling author of The Alpine Yeoman, on The Yankee Club
“[Jake and Laura] are fun, witty, and charming, and [All That Glitters] is filled with the same kind of 1930s Hollywood glamour that made the film of The Thin Man such a classic.”—Popcorn Reads
Hawaii, 1935. Mystery novelist Jake Donovan and actress Laura Wilson are in gorgeous sun-soaked Hawaii, but their best-laid plans for canoodling on the beach are interrupted by a summons from famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart. It seems a local businessman has been gunned down next to her plane. In just days, the famous pilot intends to fly from Honolulu to Los Angeles, making aviation history over the Pacific. But now, without Jake and Laura’s help, Earhart’s flight might never take off.
Trailing a killer, the newlyweds’ sleuthing leads to a jealous pilot, a cigar-chomping female officer of the “Royalist Militia,” and a notoriously disagreeable lieutenant colonel named Patton. With a sinister killer lurking in the shadows, it’s safe to say the honeymoon is over . . . and the danger has just begun.
Praise for Wings in the Dark
“Wow! . . . An enthralling mystery with strong characters, a complex plot and a fantastic ending tying things together superbly . . . I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and mysteries!”—Splashes Into Books
“The third installment in Murphy’s series is just as much fun as the first. The mystery is full of twists with an ample amount of red herrings, suspects, and action.”—Mystery Please!
“Jake and Laura are a really engaging crime-fighting couple.”—It Takes a Woman
“I heartily recommend the Jake & Laura mysteries, and this book specifically, if you like cozy mysteries that have a flair for the dramatic, a great sense of style, and an epic amount of witty banter. Goes well with fresh-caught seafood, grilled over an open fire on the beach, and drinks served in coconut shells.”—Bibliotica
Praise for Michael Murphy’s Jake & Laura mysteries
“Glittering with a hint of Nick and Nora, Michael Murphy’s 1930s Manhattan provides a witty setting for murder and mayhem.”—Mary Daheim, bestselling author of The Alpine Yeoman, on The Yankee Club
“[Jake and Laura] are fun, witty, and charming, and [All That Glitters] is filled with the same kind of 1930s Hollywood glamour that made the film of The Thin Man such a classic.”—Popcorn Reads
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesWings in the Dark Reviews
3.5
“http://openbooksociety.com/article/wings-in-the-dark-a-jake-laura-mystery-book-3-by-michael-murphy-book-review/”
“Mystery novelist Jake Donovan and actress Laura Wilson are back in Wings in the Dark, the third book in the Jake & Laura mystery series. The newly wed couple are are in Hawaii on a honeymoon when they get pulled in to investigate a murder at a hanger. Hank Kalua, a businessman has been shot and the police are suspecting Amelia Earhart and now they must find proof that she is innocent.
After reading All that Glitters, the second book in this series was I really looking forward to reading the sequel and I was especially happy that Amelia Earhart that showed up in the end of All that Glitters was part of this book. Jake and Laura are a wonderful couple and they have finally tied the knot and are on a honeymoon with no planes whatsoever to get involved in a murder that is until a man dies close to Amelia Earhart plane and she was the only on there. Still Jake has promised Laura, no more dangerous cases, but Amelia husband will not take no for an answer and pressure Jake's agent to make Jake take the case. So now Jake and Laura must put their honeymoon on hold to find out who really shot Hank Kalua. Why did the man get shot, is someone trying to frame Amelia and is there a spy in Hawaii?
It was nice to read a new Jake and Laura book, but I found the case in this book less interesting and much easier to crack than the previous book. I knew from the beginning who the spy was and that in many ways ruined the books story for me. It is one thing to suspect a character in a book, it's another to be quite sure of the identity of the one everyone is looking for. For one thing, there wasn't that many people in the book to suspect, not enough red herrings and that made the identification of the spy easy to figure out.
But, I was a bit surprised in the end when Jake figured out something in the case that I hadn't though of. Also, even though the case was not the strongest part of the book is it always nice to read about a time I'm really fond of. And, the cameos of Shirley Temple and General George Patton was a nice touch. Also, the appearance of another famous person towards the end was quite interesting. Makes me wonder what the next book will be about.
So in my humble opinion, not as good and charming as All that Glitters, but a decent read. I still have the first book unread and I'm looking forward to reading that one.
I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review! Thank you!”
About Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy is the author of The Yankee Club and All That Glitters, and a part-time urban chicken rancher. He lives in Arizona with his wife of more than forty years and their five newly adopted children. He’s active in several local writers’ groups and conducts novel-writing workshops at bookstores and libraries. His next Jake & Laura mystery will be published by Alibi in February 2016.
Other books by Michael Murphy
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