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What could be worse than playing in a golf tournament while partnered with
your estranged father as well as your possibly soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend?
Well, how about playing while also trying to serve as maid of honor to one
of your competitors? That's the caliber of torture facing Cassie Burdette
in Fairway to Heaven (Berkley Prime Crime), Roberta Isleib's fourth Golf
Lover's Mystery.
Fairway finds Cassie, never one of the most stable of personalities, back
in her therapist's office for a "tune-up" and lamenting the rigors imposed
upon her by the upcoming wedding of her friend Jeanine Peters. Little does
Cassie know, however, that attending numerous showers and wearing
ridiculous hats will be the very least of her problems. As this golf
pro-cum-sleuth tries to delicately soothe the egos of her father and
boyfriend, and avoid her stepmother's jealous glares, she is surprised by a
corpse showing up at a pre-wedding party. Suspicion for this homicide
points directly at Jeanine's father. Knowing of Cassie's experience at
ferreting out the truth behind crimes, the bride begs her to help clear up
this killing the nuptials begin. It's a tough call, since Cassie's caddie
has been trying to get her to concentrate exclusively on playing in the
upcoming tournament at Pinehurst, North Carolina. But hey, what are
friends for, if not to solve mysteries? When Jeanine's father disappears,
though, the pressure really falls on Cassie, since her responsibility as
maid of honor has her attempting to hide the situation from the police,
investigate the relatives of both families, and play her best in a
tournament without showing up her male partners.
What sets Fairway to Heaven apart from other "gimmicky" mysteries is its
plot line focusing on the complicated relationships between fathers and
daughters. Cassie is the golfer her father wishes he could be himself, and
she continues to seek his approval, despite her birth mother's hatred of
their shared sport and her stepmother's resentment toward the "old"
Burdette family. Because of Cassie's tenuous bond with her father, she has
never been able to commit fully to another man, fearing that she'll once
again be abandoned. Jeanine has issues with her own father, and the
secrets that are kept to protect her set the stage here for disaster.
Author Isleib shows a deft touch with this theme, avoiding emotional
hokeyness.
When composing amateur-sleuth tales, authors must worry about succumbing
to the "Jessica Fletcher Syndrome": compelling everyone in a small
community to be either a victim or a suspect. In her latest novel (after
Putt to Death, 2004), Isleib maneuvers around that pitfall by thrusting
events upon Cassie, often off-scene and entirely against her will, rather
than having her venture out to probe -- and doubt -- the motivations of
everyone with whom she comes in contact. The writing here is above par,
with wit and sarcasm that makes even Cassie's neurosis more humorous than
annoying. Isleib, continuing a series that teed off with Agatha and Anthony
award nominations (for Six Strokes Under, 2002), showcases her skill with a
putter as well as a pen. -- C.C.
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