Lush Life: An Artie Deemer Mystery, Book 2 by Dallas Murphy

273 Pages
Publisher: Brash Books
Release Date: September 13, 2014

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Pool Games

Artie Deemer has a famous dog, Jellyroll. He wants to meet Crystal, a woman that comes to the pool hall. His attorney, Bruce, says he can introduce him to her. Bruce warns Artie that Crystal was married to Trammel Weems, a fellow law classmate with Artie.

Trammel asks Crystal’s Uncle Billy if he can use his boat. Next thing you know Trammel is missing and presumed dead along with $14 million. Now Crystal has been taken hostage. She calls Artie to come and get her but when he gets there, it’s not Crystal. That’s how Artie got kidnapped too.

The book centers around pool games, specifically nine ball. The pace is quick with a lot of action. The characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. There is a mixture of drama, comedy, and mystery. If you like stories with a dog as a main character, you will enjoy this book.

LUSH LIFE - Dallas Murphy

#2 in the Artie Deemer Mystery series

APPEALING CHARACTERS - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - When he starts dating a girl that he meets in a pool hall, somehow Artie becomes embroiled in all kinds of trouble connected to the Mafia and various other bad guys. At the same time, he is dealing with a new and improved R-r-ruff dog food commercial that is not setting well with Jellyroll.

Writing - 3 stars - There was an explanation at the beginning of the book about pool--how it's played and the various games. But since I know nothing at all about it, even that description didn't help to make the pool scenes to be any more interesting. I could have used a lot less information about pool and gotten into the mystery sooner. I'll admit, though, that I often got confused about the crimes and couldn't quite keep track of the people involved.

Characters - 4 stars - Artie is a likeable character in that he somehow finds himself involved in bad things but does his best to keep things moving and extricating himself and those he cares about. He has a level head, intelligence, and charm. Jellyroll is a wonderful character, in a supporting role that often provides a bit of whimsy to what otherwise would be a more serious mystery. Crystal is also intelligent and enjoyable despite her situation and circumstances. The rest of the bad guys were interchangeable, and there seemed to be way too many of them.

Title - 3 stars - Not sure what this means. Just that Artie is living off Jellyroll's success and that he doesn't need to work?

Cover - 3.5 stars - I like the blue cover with money and pool balls. The orange cover is not attractive, although the bright color does catch the eye.

Overall - 3 stars - I am clearly not the demographic that Murphy was aiming for when he wrote this book. I found the pool descriptions achingly boring, and I often found myself confused by the many people involved in the mystery. There were multiple moving parts and, just like with pool, I had a hard time keeping track of it all. That being said, I very much like Murphy's turn of phrase. And Jellyroll, of course, adds a lot of light-heartedness to an otherwise grim story. The characters certainly saved this story for me and kept me reading.

This was a quick and fun read. I love the dog Jellyroll and the antics of all of the characters. The plot was good and kept me engaged.
Many thanks to Brash Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.