Karma Wears Versace

Karma Wears Versace by Rod Palmer

My rating 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: 

Atlanta doesn’t have room for both an incomparable serial killer and the phenomenal homicide detective, Aisha Sawyer. The showdown is set with the killer’s first feat: murder by viral disease, contaminating a hip hop icon and a med student. The investigation sends Sawyer and her whole-snack partner after a logical mark, a surgeon with motive and the resume to fit the crime. Sawyer, however, defies logic and her sergeant.

Her investigative mojo is entrenched in the maternal instinct that makes a woman the more advanced gender and Sawyer a more advanced detective. She probes the hip hop side of the double murder where shady outliers present unexpected twists. All the while, the death toll rises. The killer’s only clue is the common immoral trait the victims share; this killer is a vigilante – the victims’ karma returning to settle the books.
To preserve the rule of law, Detective Sawyer wields her black girl magic like the Jedi force, not only for Lady Justice but against her provocative sister, Karma, who ultimately sets her sights upon Sawyer, for what she too must atone.

Praise for Karma Wears Versace

"This is a cool, well-written mystery with enough literary verve to keep armchair detectives guessing..." (BlueInk Review)

"stylish and heavy-hitting detective thriller..." -- (Foreword Reviews) 

"A taut murder tale... refreshingly strong African American women..." -- (Kirkus Reviews) 

The Review:

The story centers on Chosen, a broken child that never quite healed in her adulthood. Her brokenness leads her to become a skilled “problem solver”. She used her specific skills to right a few wrongs. Unfortunately, this put her in the crosshairs of one persistent Detective by the name of Sawyer. The cat and mouse dance the two engage in throughout the story will keep your interest to find out which one will break and who will get roped into their madness. Detective Sawyer is gunning for Chosen and only has 36 hours to make her case.

The author delivers a mystery/thriller with two strong African American leads. Both women were intelligent, ambitious, competitive and beautifully flawed. Their male counterparts were strong enough to appreciate their strength. I believe the characters were all well developed. The author took great care in bringing the reader into the story allowing them to get to know the characters, their motivations and forcing them to become invested in their outcome. The story was well executed with moments of suspense and tension i.e. when Sawyer visited Aunt Faye. One thing that I found interesting was that I empathized completely with Chosen and had a strong dislike for Sawyer from the start. Go figure. I was rooting for Darius to be able to stand on his own. Will he in book 2? Chosen’s future looks to be one filled with intrigue and death and I’m here for it.

From a technical standpoint, I found a few instances where the flow of a sentence was obstructed and a few lulls occurred, but all in all, I read this book in one sitting. I had to know what would happen next. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what happens in part two. 

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 KayBee