Cereal Killer: A Savannah Reid Mystery

Rating:
Summary: exciting hard to put down earthy private investigative tale
Review: Although she left Georgia to put some distance between her and her family, Savannah Reid is the quintessential Steel Magnolia, a true daughter of the south. After working for the San Carmelita Police Department for a few years and butting heads with her political superiors, she quits, operating her own Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency.

Her friend and former partner are having lunch in the park one day when he gets called to investigate a homicide that just occurred. Savannah tags alone when she realizes the victim is Caitlin Connor, a plus size model who is world renown. Not long after that, , another plus size model, is also found murdered and left on the side of the road to make it look as if she was run over by a car while jogging. Both Caitlin and Kameeka were working for the same advertising agency starring in a cereal commercial so there is a connection between the two models. When a third model is kidnapped, the agent who is represented all three woman hires Savannah to find the perpetrator and try to find the third victim before she is found dead as well. Savannah, her police friend Dirk, and some other allies work the case before another death occurs.

A full figured woman, Savannah Reid is comfortable in her own skin and doesn't let other people's opinions of her weight bother her. She can be tough, sympathetic and bullheaded, all at the same time but readers will love her because she cares about her family, friends and people in general. CEREAL KILLER is an exciting hard to put down earthy private investigative tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: exciting hard to put down earthy private investigative tale
Review: Although she left Georgia to put some distance between her and her family, Savannah Reid is the quintessential Steel Magnolia, a true daughter of the south. After working for the San Carmelita Police Department for a few years and butting heads with her political superiors, she quits, operating her own Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency.

Her friend and former partner are having lunch in the park one day when he gets called to investigate a homicide that just occurred. Savannah tags alone when she realizes the victim is Caitlin Connor, a plus size model who is world renown. Not long after that, , another plus size model, is also found murdered and left on the side of the road to make it look as if she was run over by a car while jogging. Both Caitlin and Kameeka were working for the same advertising agency starring in a cereal commercial so there is a connection between the two models. When a third model is kidnapped, the agent who is represented all three woman hires Savannah to find the perpetrator and try to find the third victim before she is found dead as well. Savannah, her police friend Dirk, and some other allies work the case before another death occurs.

A full figured woman, Savannah Reid is comfortable in her own skin and doesn't let other people's opinions of her weight bother her. She can be tough, sympathetic and bullheaded, all at the same time but readers will love her because she cares about her family, friends and people in general. CEREAL KILLER is an exciting hard to put down earthy private investigative tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: My first Savannah Reid mystery, and I will be reading more
Review: One of the benefits of mass transit and noontime workouts is that I get lots of reading time. In the last couple of days, I finished Cereal Killer by G. A. McKevett. This is part of a series (a Savannah Reid mystery), and I can see myself going back and getting caught up with this author. A fun read...

Savannah is a private detective who used to be a cop. Her former partner (Dirk) is still in the force, and they often collaborate on cases. She's a southern belle who packs a few extra pounds and enjoys her food. Dirk is a grump who shares her love of food and is always looking for a free meal. In this episode, Dirk is called to investigate the death of a plus-size model who Savannah has admired. It looks to be a case of heat stroke from too little food and unhealthy attempts at weight loss. This is because she signed a contract to lose weight eating a particular breakfast cereal, and she's not where she needs to be. Things then get a little suspious when another plus-size model with the same contract also dies in a hit-and-run accident that isn't what it seems. Savannah goes undercover as a model to try and help Dirk crack the case. And to add some subplot and color, Savannah's loud and man-crazy sister shows up from Georgia to meet a man she met over the internet, and then goes to pieces when the guy dumps her after the first night.

I'll admit a fondness for the female detective genre, but I was plesantly surprised with this one. The characters are colorful, and all of the main players have flaws that make them less than perfect but oh so real. I loved the interplay between Savannah and her sister, where southern speech patterns and sayings all come to the surface. The story line strings you along and doesn't reveal the killers until the end. The author also does a good job in examining some of the preconceptions about the size of a person and how it often is connected to their feelings of self-worth.

A light, enjoyable story , and extra special if you're just discovering this author. Expect a few more reviews on her titles in the very near future.

Rating:
Summary: My first Savannah Reid mystery, and I will be reading more
Review: One of the benefits of mass transit and noontime workouts is that I get lots of reading time. In the last couple of days, I finished Cereal Killer by G. A. McKevett. This is part of a series (a Savannah Reid mystery), and I can see myself going back and getting caught up with this author. A fun read...

Savannah is a private detective who used to be a cop. Her former partner (Dirk) is still in the force, and they often collaborate on cases. She's a southern belle who packs a few extra pounds and enjoys her food. Dirk is a grump who shares her love of food and is always looking for a free meal. In this episode, Dirk is called to investigate the death of a plus-size model who Savannah has admired. It looks to be a case of heat stroke from too little food and unhealthy attempts at weight loss. This is because she signed a contract to lose weight eating a particular breakfast cereal, and she's not where she needs to be. Things then get a little suspious when another plus-size model with the same contract also dies in a hit-and-run accident that isn't what it seems. Savannah goes undercover as a model to try and help Dirk crack the case. And to add some subplot and color, Savannah's loud and man-crazy sister shows up from Georgia to meet a man she met over the internet, and then goes to pieces when the guy dumps her after the first night.

I'll admit a fondness for the female detective genre, but I was plesantly surprised with this one. The characters are colorful, and all of the main players have flaws that make them less than perfect but oh so real. I loved the interplay between Savannah and her sister, where southern speech patterns and sayings all come to the surface. The story line strings you along and doesn't reveal the killers until the end. The author also does a good job in examining some of the preconceptions about the size of a person and how it often is connected to their feelings of self-worth.

A light, enjoyable story , and extra special if you're just discovering this author. Expect a few more reviews on her titles in the very near future.

Rating:
Summary: Someone is killing the plus-sized models of L.A.
Review: When Private Detective Savannah Reid gets a call from her police ex-partner, she doesn't hesitate to check out the case. For one thing, the dead woman is a famous plus-size supermodel and Savannah is a plus-sized private investigator. For another, Savannah's sister, Marietta, is visiting and Savannah is looking for an excuse to get away before she has to hear any more about the dream date Marietta found over the Internet. The death looks natural--the woman appeared to have died of heat and dehydration as she attempted to lose weight for a diet cereal commercial, but there are a few suspicious signs. And suspicion grows to certainty when another plus-sized model is found run over.

Author G. A. McKevett uses an approachable first-person style and mixes up a humerous blend of personality traits and adventure to make CEREAL KILLER a fast and fun read. Savannah's life philosophy (the way to prevent carbohydrate sugar bounce is to buy a half-dozen maple sticks rather than just two) will appeal to many readers, but she has her serious side too--and it's hard not to identify with her desire to hunt down whomever might be killing these beautiful women.

From a mystery perspective, I would have liked to see a few more suspects, and from a personality perspective, I would have liked it if Savannah had, occasionally realized that she was being as opinionated and judgemental about others as she was, but these may be personal likes and neither is really a flaw in this short novel. The pathetic romantic subplot of Savannah's sister and Savannah's own empty lovelife provide a subtle echo to the problems in the mystery--adding depth to a well written story.