Robert Sims Reid
Are you in the mood for a good mystery? How about a two-murder
mystery that’s painted with a cast of memorable small-town characters and takes you
on a ride through a mixture of hair-raising and hilarious adventures?
The Red Corvette by Robert Sims Reid may be just the book for you.
Mystery writer, Reid, loves Corvettes. When he was in high school, he wanted to buy one; but, his father insisted, "a two-seater sportscar isn’t practical for transporting friends." Robert argued, "How many friends do you need?" But, his father still said, "No." A few high school reunions later, Reid still hopes that someday he’ll own his dream car. Until he can own a Corvette, Reid has decided to include his favorite sports car in his novel.
Reid’s reluctant sleuth is Leo Banks, a retired Montana cop. Banks’ reclusive retirement is disrupted when two college friends drop by to visit.
His former roommate, Gerry, is now a wealthy small-town physician in Missouri. Sarah, Banks’ college sweetheart before she married Gerry, is the mother of two adolescent kids. As you might expect, Banks finds that his feelings for his old flame still flicker warmly. But, this is a mystery and not a romance, so you know there’ll be a murder before any wedding bells ring.
Sure enough, soon after the visit, Gerry is murdered and Sarah summons Banks to Missouri to help find the killer.
The locals don’t like having an outsider in their midst, especially one who’s asking lots of questions. As Leo sorts through the tidbits they offer, he discovers that Gerry’s death is connected to an unsolved murder from 50 years earlier. In order to solve one case, he must solve both.
In his search for suspects, Leo Banks meets some truly memorable characters, finds himself in some bristling encounters, and takes part in a wild high-horsepower chase.
Ah yes, but what about The Red Corvette. Don’t expect to see or hear much of the pristine red ‘62 convertible in this Leo Banks mystery. Still, as Corvettes have a way of doing, the red ‘62 provides an important link between the key characters. The link is not so much the car itself, but what it represents.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed The Red Corvette, I wanted to see more of the red ‘62. I contacted Reid through his publisher and was assured that Corvettes will continue to appear in future Leo Banks mystery novels.
Needless to say, I was thrilled and I’m now anxiously awaiting Reid’s next mystery. After all, what could be better than an absorbing mystery, written by an author who loves Corvettes enough to include them in his novels?
Note: This book is now out of print.
Copyright 1996 Barbara Spear
