Just saw this loverly review of Vegas Can Be Murder from Robert Yacko - he really loved this one. He's getting ready to do an audio book on Preview Harvey and if that one comes out well, maybe we'll do the Harry Stearns trio but only IF I find a Bernice to do that part.
5.0 out of 5 stars Showgirls, Lounge Acts & Murder on the Menu
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2025
Harry Stearns, retired Hollywood agent turned retired private detective, begrudgingly returns for another case. It’s the mid-70’s and Vegas is calling, against his better judgement. Even worse, it’s the Vegas of lounge singers and decade old jokes, though the posh parts of Sin City are ever-present.
Of course, when Harry is here, so is Dr. Pepper, Black Jack gum, lots of yummy meals (especially at the Hamlet), and wonderful music, from Mozart to Sondheim to Liberace to “I Talk to the Trees”. He’s a man who loves his Bernaise and tolerates his Bernice – the latter, of course, being his sassy secretary, as set in her ways as Harry is. Along with the ins and outs of solving the looming mystery, it’s the crackle of the Harry and Bernice relationship banter that is the engine that drives this intriguing train. I’d call it older Tracy & Hepburn meets Fred and Ethel Mertz, and when Bernice is there for the ride-along, it is even more charming.
I found the story addictive, a page-turner from the get-go, and as much fun to try and solve as it was to take the ride with Harry and company. So put the top down and take a drive to the desert with this curmudgeonly master-sleuth, and don’t worry about your hair. It’ll be another unique, wonderful adventure, and maybe you’ll solve this before someone gets the… (no spoilers here). Riveting and delicious!