Chazzz
5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Stearns - from L.A. to Sin City!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2025
As one who loved Bruce Kimmel’s first two Harry Stearns mysteries, I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of VEGAS CAN BE MURDER, the third in the series.
Curmudgeon agent-turned-detective Stearns has been going about his comfortable daily routine, happy that he has once again settled back into his retirement…until the phone rings. Lounge singer Buddy DeMarco in Las Vegas, with whom Stearns has an indirect connection, is receiving threatening notes. Harry has no love for Las Vegas, and has no desire to take on DeMarco’s case, but he feels obliged to at least hear him out. So off he goes to Vegas, and the situation seems ominous indeed. But he still plans to refuse the case…until a quick turn of events involving Stearns himself changes his mind. And off we go on another investigative thrill ride with Harry Stearns.
Followers of Bruce Kimmel’s books know that he’s expert at recreating the glories of mid-century Los Angeles. We can now add Las Vegas to these tantalizing trips into the past. The sense of old time glamour, casino style show biz, and that sweet sense of danger we loved to feel lurking just beneath the glitter…it’s all there. And there are some nice surprises along the way, with guest appearances by a couple of world-renowned celebrities that are thoroughly enjoyable, and some later developments that might just be a little off the beaten track from what one is expecting.
Harry Stearns’ familiar sidekicks (his faithful secretary Bernice, his old friend and last remaining actor client Kurt Kingston) and his favorite activities (keeping up with the show business trades, eating in his favorite L.A. spots, listening to his collection of top-notch opera recordings) are all there, of course. Settle back with this one and enjoy the ride!
