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Tommy Veasy isn’t your average homicide detective. He smokes marijuana and writes poetry to help keep him focused and able to function. Meanwhile, the chief of police is eager to find any excuse to bring him down because Veasy is sleeping with his ex-girlfriend, Cheri Tingley, who also happens to be Veasy’s partner.
Veasy’s latest case involves tracking a madman who’s killing off producers because he thinks they’re stealing his ideas. Once upon a time in the ‘70s, Jay Braffner was a respected TV producer. Then things went south, and he ended up in and out of jail and rehab for several years. After that, no one would touch him. So now he’s decided to direct his own script about killing producers who did him wrong. Though his crew is imaginary, the murders are real.
Producer Lester Tarsis has had a good ten-year run with a popular TV series, but now he knows that his career is about to come to an end. What he doesn’t know is that if he takes a call from Jay Braffner, he won’t have anything to worry about—because he’ll be blown to bits along with anyone who’s unlucky enough to be in his office at the time.
I really didn’t expect to like Tommy Veasy because of his drug habit, but there’s something just a tiny bit fragile and gentle about him, and I couldn’t begrudge him his coping mechanism. Throw in the fact that he’s also highly entertaining—with a hefty dose of common sense and wit—and he’s unable to resist. On the other hand, Jay Braffner is every bit as cuckoo as Lester Tarsis is sleazy. But after the shock of their actions wears off, you’ll find yourself laughing at their boldness.
Green Light for Murder was so much fun to read. It’s extremely clever and nail-bitingly suspenseful—not to mention audacious and somewhat crazy. Even though you’ll know who the killer is and why he’s killing from the start, the story will still keep you enthralled as you wonder how it’s all going to end.
Off-the-wall characters, wild plot developments, and a sardonic mix of humor makes Green Light for Murder one of the best mystery thrillers I’ve read in quite some time. I hope to see more of Detective Tommy Veasy in the future.
