Five Card Murder (Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series Book 6) By Bruce Hammack

An inheritance worth millions. A killer with a list…and Smiley’s on it.

A phone call from out of the blue leads blind PI Steve Smiley to become executor of a large Texas estateâ€"one which includes the last undeveloped lakefront property in the state. While the sheriff is hunting for the rancher’s killer, a second death occurs. The ranch foreman is found murdered.

Someone is intent on getting their hands on that property. Any of the four siblings could be guilty of one, or both, of the murders. There’s no love lost in the dysfunctional family. But which one wanted the land bad enough to kill for it? Or was it a conspiracy?

Steve and his partner Heather are hired to find out who killed the ranch foreman. They unearth a long-buried family secret that could solve the mystery, but will it also lead to more killing? A person desperate not to be discovered attacks Heather. Steve needs to stop the killer or the next funeral could be his. Five Card Murder (Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series Book 6)

Five Card Murder is A Smiley McBlythe Mystery. Bruce Hammack has written an exciting cozy mystery. The book opens with blind PI Steve Smiley being named executor of a Texas estate which has the last undeveloped Prime land. This is the jumping off for an exciting story. Bruce Hammack has developed characters perfect for the story. There are so many possibilities when the foreman is murdered. Steve’s partner, Heather, is attacked and the story keeps building until a satisfying climax. I received an arc for free, I am leaving my review voluntarily. I really enjoy a good suspense and mystery! This book is another in the Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series. If you love a good mystery, you will really enjoy this book. It's an intriguing book, that will keep you guessing as to who the culprit was. This author is a great mystery author and I am sure you will enjoy this captivating read!

This book revolves around a will and the siblings who are all hoping they will be the recipients of the best parts of the will. During this time two murders come into play and the search for the killer begins. You will love this book as you read about the various family members wondering and who may be the killer. But it will surprise you!
I received an ebook copy of this book by the author. All thoughts are my own. Kindle Edition I love the characters in this book, and look forward to reading other books in this series. You have partners who work equally, bringing their own skills to work as a team. The writing is descriptive enough to imagine the scenes, but not too much to make me want to skip over anything. A great mystery to keep you thinking until the very end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had an advance reader copy and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It grabbed me right at the beginning and continued with a saga of interesting family drama. A double who dunnit, with betrayals and back stabbing. The lead up to the ending is quite exciting. A great read. Mystery, Crime, Contemporary Steve Smiley, a blind private investigator, got a phone call from a rancher he hadn’t talked to in 15 years. He was asking Steve to be the executor of his Will and he put the original in the mail to him. His business partner, Heather McBlythe was reading the Will to him when a call came in. Not recognizing the name, Steve dismissed it, until Sheriff Stony Blake called when his Chief Deputy had been unable to get through. They had found Charley Voss’ body by his barn, dead for several days. The Sheriff wouldn’t admit it was murder but had “strong suspicions” and the body was on its way for an autopsy. Hector DeLeon, the foreman, had found Voss. Regardless, Steve arrived in Texas to read the Will and coach the four mourning heirs in how to best divide an estate of nine thousand acres, cattle, and substantial life insurance settlements. They were not invited to help with the murder investigation… yet.

The Deputy Sheriff, Marvin Goodnight, was at the reading of the Will. The heirs were obnoxious to each other and to Steve and Heather, and even to Marvin. Marvin afterward said he knew one of them committed the murder, all had keys to the gates and ranch house, but he couldn’t figure which one did it yet.

The reader gets more of the heirs’ personalities at each meeting that Steve referees! They are a cutthroat bunch, but they don’t realize who they are up against! Soon a family secret will be revealed that will be very enlightening. The main characters were fascinating as we see Steve so competent while Heather has worked herself to death and is dropping the ball left and right because she is so overwhelmed. Grab your copy and enjoy the unraveling of the clues to find the guilty culprit! There is so much intrigue going on that will rivet the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Just observing how Steve gathers information despite not having his sight is a true pleasure. And as they get closer to the truth, the killer becomes desperate. You won’t want to miss it!

A well-crafted story in which Steve Smiley and his partner Heather McBlythe find themselves unexpectedly involved in a murder case. All possible killers are involved in the legacy that Steve carries out as an executor. 4 Children who all had a reason to kill their father. Only when the foreman is also killed does the ball really start rolling.

Good story, well described. Because the main character represents a blind man, there is a lot of detailed information about the supporting roles and environment. As a reader, you can therefore make a good representation of the environment. It's not just the murder that makes the book so good. The attention to the personal side of Heather also makes this book good. I thought she was a strong woman who knows what she wants but who also still waits for her father's approval, even though she's a grown woman.

As a reader you don't always get what Steve is thinking, but in the end he made up for that.

I would recommend this book to all my friends.

Thanks to BookSirens for providing an ARC. I give this review voluntarily Five Card Murder was my first time experiencing this author. Even though it is the 6th book in Bruce Hammack's Smiley and McBlythe series I had no problems following along or stepping in now. There are already some established relationships but I felt they were adequately explained so new readers didn't feel lost.

Let me say first I loved the attention to detail in this story. I think because Steve is blind the author gets away with Heather's explanation of every scene, to me it added a greater sense of realism and allowed me to more effectively visualize the setting. I also loved the relationship between Steve and Heather as a almost father daughter but more friends. When dealing with parents there's almost always that hassle of living up to expectations (as Heather well knows) and there's none of that pesky judgement in their relationship. Both have some fun at the others expense but you can tell they really care about one another.

Aside from their relationship we get to meet quite the cast of unusual characters. The setting is a Texas ranch at the peek of Summer. We start out with a will and end up with a murdered ranch hand. I felt the local law enforcement embraced our private detectives a little too easily, I guess I'm just used to there always being strife when toes get stepped on. Maybe the sheriffs gout got in the way.

The story ended up having a few twists, some were easier to guess than others and the last isn't revealed until the final couple pages. I enjoyed this story and will be looking to read more of this series. I'm very interested to learn some more about Heather's past and how she came to work with Steve.

I received a free copy of his story from the author and BookSirens and am leaving a voluntary honest review. Mystery, Crime, Contemporary I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy murder mystery set in Texas. There was a lot of interesting family dynamics happening and the author did a good job of not tipping his hand as to “Who Done It”. The team of private investigators consisted of Steve Smiley a blind former police officer and Heather McBlythe a wealthy former cop who has some issues of her own that she needs to work out. This is #6 in the series and not having read any of the preceding books, I felt it was a fine stand alone story. I liked the inclusion of Smileys Synthesia condition as an extra tool in his detective skillset.

*I was given this book through Book Sirens to read and review. That in no way influences my opinion. After their father dies, siblings gather to hear the will. It's presented by Steve Smiley; a former police detective, (now a private detective and blind), with his attorney business partner, Heather. They don't normally do this type of work, but something up their alley might be involved.

Heather's head wasn't completely in the game, but she may have bigger problems--one is her habit of kicking an anthill--then sitting where she is sure to be hurt.

What does lake-front property in Texas have to do with five-card stud poker? They're two things sandwiched between homicide and a form of justice. Sometimes crime pays, but not if detective Smiley can help it.

Another successful case solved and resolved by the detective duo. An unusual situation, but cleverly woven into a puzzling mystery!

5/5 Stars (Entertaining and clean!)

Thanks to Jubilee Publishing and Book Sirens for the free preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.

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#SteveSmiley #TexasMystery #SmileyandMcBlytheMystery Bruce Hammack When a sudden phone call leaves blind PI Steve Smiley as the executor of a large Texas estate, he suspects more than meets the eye. His suspicions are confirmed when his client is reported murdered. While the sheriff is searching for the rancher's killer, another murder occurs, and Smiley and his partner McBlythe are hired to find the murderer. With bad family relationships, any of the four siblings could be the culprit. But Smiley and McBlythe must first go through with the execution of the will in order to find the true criminal, or criminals?

Five Card Murder is the sixth book in the Smiley and McBlythe mystery series, but it can be read as a standalone.

This book was a classic mystery read with just the right personal touch. While taking us through the cuisines of a Texas town, it drops hints along the way for you to pick up and piece together. I loved how direct and straight forward it was while still holding an aura of mystery and suspense.

If I had to pick between Smiley and McBlythe, I would go for Smiley, no questions asked. I enjoyed his humour and analytical brain. The fact that he does not allow his blindness to serve as a limitation is just an added bonus. Seriously, the guy's amazing.

This book was an enjoyable read through and through and I'm sure every mystery lover would agree with me.

I received an advance reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.