Coggins, Mark – CANDY FROM $TRANGERS

[LJ Roberts]

CANDY FROM $TRANGERS (Private Invest-San Francisco-Cont) – Poor Coggins, Mark – 2^nd
in series
Bleak House Books, 2006-Amer Hardcover

San Francisco PI and part-time bass player August Riordan and his cross-dressing friend, lead singer and computer hacker Chris Duckwork escape a bar fight only to come across a dead girl’s body bearing what seems to be the beginning of a tattoo. Riordan is hired by Ellen Stockwell, wife of an alcoholic suspended East Palo Alto policeman, to find her missing daughter. The case leads Riordan into the world of sexual websites, a doomed relationship and murder.

Coggins knows the streets of San Francisco better than MapQuest. He has created some interesting characters but doesn’t develop them. I kept waiting to feel something for any of the characters, but never did. The plot begins with a coincidence and the motive behind it all was very thin. The dialogue was well written and did add to the flavor of the story and characters but I never had a feeling of suspense. For someone who is supposed to be an experienced investigator, Riordan did, or didn’t do, things I found unrealistic. I had read Coggins first Riordin book and hoped I would like this one better. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Sorry, but this just didn’t work for me.