Ten of Swords

When Kitty first became involved with Tracy, he seemed to be everything that her life lacked. Adventure, love, excitement, and someone who appreciated her. Little did she know that, in the next few days, she would be abandoned, become a murder suspect, and find her own gifts. Eleanor, who works at the motel that is a center point in the book, rescues her. Though they suffer through a number of ordeals, this relationship opens up the future for both women.

This book is an enjoyable, quick read, whose only flaw may be that some minor characters are less developed than Kitty and Zeeda. Kitty comes from a broken home. Eleanor is a hard-working, Evangelical, black woman, who hears the word of God, and her husband and kids are good and understanding. Skinner, the hotel owner, is slimy and untrustworthy. Zeeda is an eastern-European Tarot reader who Kitty bonds with while living with her at the motel. MacMannius, the detective on the murder case, is obsessed with movies, to the point where he refers to the subjects of his investigations as characters from classic movies. The one point of contention between the two main characters is more or less solved in a single scene.

Despite this, the plot is lively and quick, and the mystery of the book is not resolved to the end. In some ways, this book feels like a long-running TV show or familiar movie. The characters are ones you’ve known for a long time (even if they are somewhat troublesome), and, even if you know how the story will end up, you still find yourself rooting for them.

Ten of Swords is a light novel, perfect for a day at the beach or a long trip.