Green Money

Rating:
Summary: Great story-telling, great writing
Review: First of all, if you can, consider picking up the audio book version of this novel, by Griot audio. I didn't see it here, so I'm reviewing the PB version.

I met this author at a writer's conference this summer, and she was so friendly and personable (just like her main character) thatI thought I'd pick her book up. I'm not a big mystery reader, but if the author is talented enough, or the characters interesting enough, I grab it up. This one is worth grabbing up. Staletta Duval is an incredible character, an African-American woman (I kept picturing Pam Grier, and if the book were turned into a film, she'd be perfect) who has worked her way up to Detective Liutenent in the homicide division. The book starts off with a bang as a homeless woman is horribly burned alive in St. Francis park. Then a prostitue is killed, and Starletta and her cool Italian partner, who would probably take a bullet for her, start seeing a pattern- the killings seem to be based on a computer game called Vampire's Lair. And guess who secretly plays a lot of the game? Pampered rich kids at the local academy... but there's much more to it than that. The author --who actually has worked for the police-- fleshes out the characters well. When you hate a character, you REALLY hate a character, and when one is likeable, the author knows just how to make us fall in love with them. I also thought I knew just where the book was going, but I was proved wrong several times (I don't read a lot of mystery because I have an annoying habit of guessing the endings).It reads not only as a mystery, but also as a police procedural and crime thriller. Fans of NYPD Blue (and other similar shows) will love the book. I found the storytelling so entertaining and the chacters so likeable that I'm going to pick up the other books in the series-- and read them in order. And if I can get my hands on the audio versions...

The audio book is read by the actor Marc Damon Johnson, who does a tremendous job and is great at voicing different characters-- he does an especially hilarious job with a pimp in St. Francis park in one scene, and a prostitute in two others. The audio version is over ten hours long, but he (and of course, the talented author) made it fly by.

This is a very talented author who created characters I definitely want to spend more time with. Check it out-this series deserves a wider audience!

Rating:
Summary: Brand New to the Genre and Love It!!
Review: Green Money is the first mystery/thriller that I have read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This was the first time in a long time that everyone in our book club truly enjoyed reading this book. It was just what the doctor ordered. I do however, have one question, can anyone provide any insight on the title of the book? Why is it titled "Green Money". Great Job Judith Smith-Levin.

Rating:
Summary: Brand New to the Genre and Love It!!
Review: Green Money is the first mystery/thriller that I have read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This was the first time in a long time that everyone in our book club truly enjoyed reading this book. It was just what the doctor ordered. I do however, have one question, can anyone provide any insight on the title of the book? Why is it titled "Green Money". Great Job Judith Smith-Levin.

Rating:
Summary: UP ALL NIGHT!
Review: I have eagerly awaited the release of this book. I'm a big fan of Ms. Smith-Levin's. She could write her name and I'd buy it, because I know whatever she puts on paper is going to totally engulf me as a reader. This is the third book in her Star Duvall series and I'm so hungry for another one that I'm going to go back and start reading from the beginning with Do Not Go Gently. Seems to me writing of this quality and caliber should be front and center on every bestseller list there is. This woman knows how to tell a story. Her characters live and breathe. I think I'm in love with Dr. Mitchell Grant, but Star is the woman for him. This savvy, foxy, smart woman makes me proud to be female. Ms. Smith-Levin gives us someone and something to root for. Here are the cops on display, all the good and all the bad, and you love them. Even the bad guys have personality and depth. No cardboard stereotypes here, every character breathes. Star's life away from the Homicide Squad that she commands is real, with friends, family and that gorgeous doctor Grant. Her world on the job is brutal, but Star and her partner, Dominic Paresi make us feel protected, even in the face of the most horrendous brutality. These are two cops you'd want to see coming, if you were in trouble. On top of the fine writing, Ms. Smith-Levin also opens the window into just what it takes to be a police officer, and to maintain your humanity doing a job that most of us would run from. If you haven't read Ms. Smith-Levin's books, I urge you to do so. She has never disappointed. I only hope there's another Starletta Duvall on the way. I can hardly wait.!

Rating:
Summary: More Green Money
Review: I signed up for notification of new releases by Judith Smith-Levin. I ordered a copy before it was released and checked on the status constantly in anticipation. I was not disappointed. I absolutely love this series! The protagonist is such a refreshing change from the norm. Her relationship with her partner is adorable. Not many authors have the ability to write about ultimate affection and caring between two people of the opposite sex, who love each other, but aren't sexually involved. Ms. Smith-Levin does it to perfection. The only words appropriate for Star's relationship with "Mitchell" is Va-Va-Va-Voom! Keep them coming and evolving.

Rating:
Summary: Star is really a star character!
Review: This is a fantastically spellbinding book. The characters are well defined. I enjoyed seeing the personal sides of Mitch, Star, and Paresi. The new character Jasmine, was a real riot. I look forward to seeing her in other books. The book took many twist and turns and the ending was a shock. Ms. Levin is a gifted writer. She brings the characters and story to life. I look forward to her next book. I hope her first book is reprinted so the whole series would be available.

Rating:
Summary: JUDITH SMITH-LEVIN HAS DONE IT AGAIN!
Review: This is the third installment of this series and I have loved each one.

Green Money is an intriguing murder mystery which keeps you guessing until the end. It is full of great characters and it unravels slowly and deliciously. Starletta Duvall and her partner Dominic Paresi and the best duo in a very long time. They're both smart, witty and sexy.

I love mysteries but one of my complaints about the genre is that while the crimes and plots surrounding them are very interesting; the lives of the sleuths are usually very boring and mundane. NO SO IN THIS SERIES. Starletta's love life sizzles thanks to Mitchell Grant (ever heard of a sexy pathologist?). Be still my heart. What a character Mitchell Grant is gorgeous, sensitive, sexy and rich to boot.

Judith, I can't wait for the next one.