The Cherry Pages
A Novel
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
A small-town Florida cop finds big trouble when he becomes a seductive movie star’s bodyguard in this clever mystery from the author of Hot Shot.
Det. Samuel Cooper, known as “Coop” to his friends, is the chief of police in Gulf Front, Florida, a sleepy little beach town that doesn’t see many outsiders. Indeed, “chief of police” is a grand title, considering Coop’s the only officer on the “force.”
Then, out of the blue, he gets offered an intriguing side gig as bodyguard to the movie star Cherry Page. Cherry will be shooting on location in Atlanta, and someone’s been sending twisted threats to her personal email. Coop is surprised when his girlfriend Penny encourages him to take the job with the famous femme fatale. But he gets more drama than he bargained for when the celebrity stalker turns out to be a serial killer who follows Coop and Cherry back to Gulf Front.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Ruffin's lackluster second mystery featuring Gulf Front, Fla., police chief Sam Cooper (after 2010's Hot Shot), Coop gets hired to guard British screen star Cherry Page. Cherry, who has come to Atlanta to make a film, has been receiving e-mail messages from someone threatening to sacrifice her to the god Baal. The stalker murders a series of other victims, chronicling his exploits in a breathless journal. Meanwhile, Coop brings Cherry home to Gulf Front when a studio publicity stunt requires the star to vanish. Coop's off-and-on girlfriend, Penny, is thrilled to meet her idol, but the visit draws the stalker, who attacks Penny instead. Long on sexual and romantic byplay and short on investigation, the narrative takes Cooper literally and figuratively out of his element, leaving little he can do competently but flirt. Though given an interesting backstory, Cherry is neither credible nor comic enough to redeem the illogical plot.
