Relative Danger

Relative Danger by Charles Benoit starts in 1948 Singapore with the murder of Russell Pearce. In present day Pennsylvania Doug Pearce has always been fascinated with stories of his Uncle Russ the black sheep of the family. A letter from an old friend of his uncle's arrives with an offer he can't refuse. A chance to solve the murder of Russel Pearce and recover a legendary red diamond. Doug agrees to play detective for how bad could it be? Follow Doug as he jets from Morocco to Egypt to Singapore following a trail left years ago by his uncle and his uncle's killer. Relative Danger envelopes you in it's story. I was sorry to find out "who done it' because the whole journey to arrive at the denouement was so well written that I didn't want it to end. Relative Danger is a lively read with a likeable hero, exotic locations, fascinating characters and non stop action. Put this all together and you have a can't put down must read mystery! I can't wait to read Charles Benoit's next book.

This book has it all. Doug is a wonderful naïve-but-not protagonist, fabulous sense of place, great characters, wonderful dialogue that at time had me laughing aloud, and an ending that definitely makes you want to go along with Doug on his next adventure. A contender for my annual top 10 list, I loved this book!

The story starts in Singapore in 1948, but most of the action takes place in present day locales. Douglas Pearce is a Pottsville, Pennsylvania, native who loses his job at the local brewery just in time to embark on an Indiana Jones-like adventure, in search of the killer of his Uncle Russell, the black sheep of the Pearce family, who was murdered in 1948 Singapore. He finds himself confounded in Casablanca, confined in Cairo, bogged down in Bahrain, and celebrated in Singapore. Benoit had me hooked from page one, and kept me riveted all the way through. I picked this one up because I had recenty been to Singapore, and thought it might be interesting to read about the city in a novel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing! Benoit has Singapore down pat. His descriptions made me want to visit the other places Doug visited, as well. My husband loved this book, too. We both laughed out loud at some passages, and the solution to the mystery wasn't obvious until very close to the end. I'm looking forward to Mr. Benoit's next book!

If ever than was an anti-James Bond, it's Doug Pearce. He's just lost his job at the Pottsville, Pennsylvania brewery, he's spending his days watching TV and hanging out at the mall, and the one goal he's achieved since graduating from high school has been that he's now a bum. So when he receives an intriguing letter from a woman in Canada offering to give him information about his uncle - a man mentioned in Doug's family only as an example of how not to be - Doug has all the time and interest to see her. What he learns is that his Uncle Russell not only was murdered but possibly was a jewel thief as well. Edna Bowers then makes him an offer he can't refuse; she'll pay for him to travel to Casablanca and around the world to discover who killed Russell and maybe find the jewel as well.Once in Casablanca Doug finds himself living out the life of his dreams. Aided by a beautiful woman who may be a liar (Doug's willing to overlook this), he's thrown in jail for transporting drugs, attacked by muggers, and one of his sources gets murdered. Doug may not be particularly intelligent, skillful, or experienced, but he's having more adventure than he ever had in Pottsville. Doug also realizes that he's caring less about finding out who killed his uncle than he is in having the time of his life.This is a wonderful twist on the spy/caper novel, with the hero not really knowing what he's doing but willing to try anything. Doug is an extremely original and down-to-earth character whose fighting skill comes from weekends spent drinking and fighting and who's quite aware that he's in over his head. The plot moves quickly through Morocco, Egypt, and Singapore, and ultimately Doug proves himself to be much sharper than anyone, including himself, originally believes. Benoit has created a vastly entertaining novel full of wry humor, wit, and action.

Doug is a wonderful, naive-but-not, protagonist. It may not be the strongest mystery written, but there is fabulous sense of place, great characters, dialogue that had me laughing at times, and an ending that made me anxious for Doug's next adventure and Beniot's next book.