A Buried Lie

Rating:
Summary: interesting mystery that's a hole in one for the audience
Review: After graduating golf school with a birdie putt, Cassie Burdette now has partially exempt status on the LPGA tour, which means a certain amount of tourney play. She can also play in events where a last minute opening occurs such as just happened at the Shop Rite LPGA Classic, a pro-amateur event. Cassie is playing with four scientists working on a new Alzheimer's drug and she immediately takes to the only other woman on the team.

After the first day of play, the Meditron group invites Cassie to go with them to the Showboat Casino where Erica and Cassie run into a female teen in trouble. Erica takes the kid to her room but the next day fails to show up to play golf with her co-workers. Cassie finds this particularly ominous and decides to go to see if Erica is okay. When Cassie persuades management to open the door they find Erica dead in her bed, the victim of an overdose. Cassie doesn't believe Erica committed suicide and starts her own investigation, an action that almost leads to a double bogie for her and a close friend.

Golf enthusiasts and fans of amateur sleuth novels will definitely enjoy A BURIED LIE, a tale that gives the reader insight into the competitive world of professional golf. The audience will like Cassie because she is willing to act on her hunches when even the police think no crime has been committed. Roberta Isleib knows how to write an interesting who-done-it that is a hole in one for the audience.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: interesting mystery that's a hole in one for the audience
Review: After graduating golf school with a birdie putt, Cassie Burdette now has partially exempt status on the LPGA tour, which means a certain amount of tourney play. She can also play in events where a last minute opening occurs such as just happened at the Shop Rite LPGA Classic, a pro-amateur event. Cassie is playing with four scientists working on a new Alzheimer's drug and she immediately takes to the only other woman on the team.

After the first day of play, the Meditron group invites Cassie to go with them to the Showboat Casino where Erica and Cassie run into a female teen in trouble. Erica takes the kid to her room but the next day fails to show up to play golf with her co-workers. Cassie finds this particularly ominous and decides to go to see if Erica is okay. When Cassie persuades management to open the door they find Erica dead in her bed, the victim of an overdose. Cassie doesn't believe Erica committed suicide and starts her own investigation, an action that almost leads to a double bogie for her and a close friend.

Golf enthusiasts and fans of amateur sleuth novels will definitely enjoy A BURIED LIE, a tale that gives the reader insight into the competitive world of professional golf. The audience will like Cassie because she is willing to act on her hunches when even the police think no crime has been committed. Roberta Isleib knows how to write an interesting who-done-it that is a hole in one for the audience.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: 3.5 Really. Needs Polish
Review: Cassie Burdette is playing in her first pro-am tournament. The group she plays with on the first day consists of four employees from Meditron Pharmaceuticals. The tension is very obvious to outsider Cassie, and is never far from the surface, even when they go out for dinner later. But when the only woman in the group turns up dead, Cassie is surprised. The police are quick to rule it a suicide. That is where all the evidence points, but Cassie doesn't believe it for a second. What really happened to this woman? And will investigating this murder hamper Cassie's playing in the tournament? Meanwhile, her love life, or lack there of, is also hitting some major road blocks.

This series intrigues me because of the inside look at the LPGA. The golf scenes are written well, and I keep coming back to find out just how well rookie Cassie will play. Unfortunately, the mystery is not as well developed. Frankly, I didn't believe Cassie's reasons for investigating this death. Amateur sleuths need a compelling reason to be involved, and this book lacks that. Second, the ending felt rushed and not as developed as most of the books I like. However, I've really grown to care about Cassie and her friends Joe and Laura.

The golf and the characters are interesting enough to bring me back for a third round. Hopefully, the mystery itself will be better polished next time around.

Rating:
Summary: 3.5 Really. Needs Polish
Review: Cassie Burdette is playing in her first pro-am tournament. The group she plays with on the first day consists of four employees from Meditron Pharmaceuticals. The tension is very obvious to outsider Cassie, and is never far from the surface, even when they go out for dinner later. But when the only woman in the group turns up dead, Cassie is surprised. The police are quick to rule it a suicide. That is where all the evidence points, but Cassie doesn't believe it for a second. What really happened to this woman? And will investigating this murder hamper Cassie's playing in the tournament? Meanwhile, her love life, or lack there of, is also hitting some major road blocks.

This series intrigues me because of the inside look at the LPGA. The golf scenes are written well, and I keep coming back to find out just how well rookie Cassie will play. Unfortunately, the mystery is not as well developed. Frankly, I didn't believe Cassie's reasons for investigating this death. Amateur sleuths need a compelling reason to be involved, and this book lacks that. Second, the ending felt rushed and not as developed as most of the books I like. However, I've really grown to care about Cassie and her friends Joe and Laura.

The golf and the characters are interesting enough to bring me back for a third round. Hopefully, the mystery itself will be better polished next time around.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating mix of golf and mystery
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment in Roberta Isleib's serries about Cassie Burdette, the underdog pro golfer who won't take no for an answer in matters of mystery or her game. When Cassie's partner in a pro-am tournament is found dead, an apparent suicide, Cassie doesn't believe it, and sets out to uncover the truth about her death. We follow Cassie through both the seamy side of Atlantic City (where the tournament takes place) and the upscale halls of the NJ pharmaceutical industry, as she uncovers the layers of the dead woman's life. There are several credible suspects, and I was kept guessing about the identity of the killer right up until the end. As always, I find the golf scenes just as suspenseful as the mystery. Will Cassie finally start winning some money on the pro tour? Will her game fall apart because of the distraction of her sluething? I was cheering Cassie on right through the dramatic conclusion of A BURIED LIE. If you enjoy amatuer slueth mysteries that take you into a fully realized world, read this book!

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment after a strong debut
Review: Roberta Isleib's sophomore effort (after her debut SIX STROKES UNDER) continues where her first left off, with Cassie Burdette struggling to make it on the LPGA tour after surviving the rigors of Q-school. She is the pro golfer assigned to a foursome in a pro-am tournament, but, when one of the foursome - a single mother and workaholic who is concerned about the introduction of a potentially miracle drug - turns up dead the next morning in her hotel room, Cassie launches her own investigation into the death. Convinced that the woman was murdered and did not commit suicide as the police quickly conclude, Cassie sets out to uncover the truth.

The idea behind the series - that a rookie professional athlete stumbles into murder investigations - is a good one, especially since Isleib provides intriguing details about the sport of golf. Unfortunately, unlike SIX STROKES UNDER, the suspense in this novel seems mechanical and undeveloped, almost as though the author rushed the writing of it. Isleib throws so many red herrings into the brew that the eventual culprit is lost, making the revelation a kind of "Who???" moment. The characters don't develop much beyond the first novel, and the dual conflict of unsolved murder and tournament-in-progress lacks drive, perhaps because the stakes seem low. I found it difficult to care about the outcome.

Still, Roberta Isleib has talent. She has hatched a great idea for a series that deserves another look when her next novel is released. I suspect that A BURIED LIE is more of a sophomore slump than anything else. If you liked her first, then you should definitely read this one so you won't miss out on the details that build the next installment. Golfers especially should find this novel of interest.

Rating:
Summary: Another Winner from Roberta Isleib
Review: Roberta Isleib's spirited, appealing heroine,Cassandra Burdette, is back on the case in A Buried Lie. While participating in a professional/amateur golf tournament, Cassie investigates the death of one of the amateurs who she teamed up with. The suspense is unrelenting, the characters well-drawn, the dialogue crisp, and the golf background authentic. The book was a pleasure to read and a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down, until the last page. And I wanted more! I eagerly anticipate Ms. Isleib's next Cassandra Burdette mystery.