A Dead Red Cadillac (The Dead Red Mystery Series, Book 1)

This book pulls you in from the first line and keeps you reading right through all the twists, turns and surprises, to the end. I particularly liked the central character, Lalla, who makes a very refreshing change from the usual all American girl. Lalla is an ex model who despite having graced a good few front pages in her time with a high flying career in New York, is now back in the small town she came from in the southern states, running the family firm and flying a crop duster plane. Whilst she is conscious that she is losing her glamour girl looks and appalled at the prospect of her forthcoming fortieth birthday, she manages to push it out of her mind to let more important things take over. She has a deep commitment to her father's crop dusting business and an in depth knowledge of her industry, the planes, the organisation, the chemicals involved, staffing, profit margins and what it takes to keep the business going. There is, of course, a murder to investigate, love interest in the shape of her very best friend, Caleb the handsome cop and a full cast of extremely well rounded characters, every one of which is there for a purpose and brings the story alive in vivid technicolour. Lalla has a dry wit and well-developed sense of humour plus a determination that carries her through the good and bad situations she gets herself into. The author has a real skill with descriptive writing, using some amazing imagery to portray places, buildings and in particular, people. You know in a few well chosen words not only what a character looks like but exactly how any conversation with them is going to go. In contrast, you never really know what to expect from one chapter to the next and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Brilliant stuff.

A nice Sunday read. Lots of characters, and a bit confusing at times. Many plot twists, and the obligatory romantic nonsense common to these books.Recommended, at the right price!

The book centres around Lalla Bain, her friends and family and follows her as she tries to solve a mysterious murder. There is also a romantic backstory as her relationship with the local Sheriff develops.I enjoyed the book and was keen to find out how it would all work out. However I felt that the plot was a bit convoluted and I would have preferred the author to have spent more time developing the characters and their relationships than throwing in seemingly random scenes that didn't move the plot forward. I also found Lalla's speech confusing at times.That being said, it was a fun enough way to pass the time and I will probably still read the next book in the series!

Not just a mystery but a love story.maybe a little too much attempt at jokes which arent but a good read.the author takes us on a trip around a town and introduces us to a woman whose a bit too independent but likeable. A clean read not needing the swearing which seems to be rife with today's authors.yes very good reading.

Some real good twist in this tale, great read. Will look out for more books from this author

"Better red than dead." Except with R.P. Dahlke you can be both red and dead. And smiling.'A Dead Red Cadillac' is quirky, charming and with an engaging protagonist. The plot pursues a serpentine course as befits a good mystery, and there is plenty of eccentricity and wry humor to keep the wheels spinning.The writing is assured and well-structured, with beautifully handled dialogue sections.I'll be back for more!

A good read. Has a good plot, realistic Story line, easy to follow after putting down. All round good book.

Good story and an excellent protagonist in the style of Stephanie Plum. Somewhat spoiled by the number of typos and grammatical errors. The three star rating reflects this, but if you like MZ Kelly and Janet Evanovich, you should enjoy this book.

Good read that will keep you guessing til the end. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I liked the characters and the plot of this mystery. I am sure that anyone would like the storyline and the action.The chose this rating because it is a good story that I won't forget.

Interesting read

Couldn’t put it down. Enjoyed the characters and all the twists and turn. Can’t wait to read the next one

I'm not sure why this book did not do it for me. It is well written and well edited. The story is on par with others of the genre. However, I found the repetitive nature of Lalla's reflections: how old she is, what she did in the past, who did what how, etc. very boring. I wonder if some authors use this as a page filler. Also, not much depth ro any of the characters. It was an okay book, but not intriguing enough to read the rest of the series.