A VIEW TO DIE FOR
Janice Rosenberg
VanGoach Books

When Annie Eisenstein moved to Moab, Utah to begin a new life with the man she was sure loved her she was unaware that her new life would soon be lived alone. Facing the breakup of her relationship with new found determination Annie finds she has a real talent for selling real estate and decides to stay in Moab and pursue her brand new career.

"Hey, Jack." Miles's tenor voice retained the same ebullient tone he'd used for greeting me. "All set for lunch tomorrow?"

"What the hell do you care?" Spellman pushed past Miles and opened the door of his van.

"I love this town, Jack," Miles said, spreading his arms wide to encompass all of Moab. "I love being president of the Rotary."

"What you love is power," Spellman said. He had to look up to meet Miles's grin with his own sneer. "And if it were up to me you wouldn't have it for long."

Little did Annie realize while watching the interplay between Spellman and her landlord, Miles VanAllen that the next time she was to see Miles he would be found dead on the floor of the home she was showing to a pair of prospective buyers. The startled Annie found herself being dragged into a tale of danger and conniving as she sets out to try and figure out what exactly has happened to the man from who she was buying the home in which she is living.

Thoughts of John R. Riggs' "A Dragon Lives Forever" along with a bit of Gardner machination gives an idea of the spellbinding complicity found in this first mystery thriller by new writer Janice Rosenberg. The worry felt by Annie is manifest as she is driven to discover the secrets laying hidden within these people she has come to know. Annie Eisenstein has begun to recognize most of Moab's residents by sight, but it takes Miles' murder to bring them into focus. She discovers below the surface of this seemingly benign community there is an undercurrent of environmental terrorists, philandering husbands and real estate scams. The tangled personal issues the several characters share are skillfully wrought by this Chicago resident who does own a home in Moab as well.

Rosenberg's cleverness with words and her expressive narrative pull the reader right into the tale. Writer Rosenberg's characters are innovative and well thought out. A VIEW TO DIE FOR offers the reader a chance to use their own powers of deduction as they follow Annie on her journey to narrow down the possible suspects to the only one possible who killed Miles Van Allen.

A VIEW TO DIE FOR is Janice Rosenberg's first mystery. Janice is already hard at work on another. A VIEW TO DIE FOR is a tale that will draw you into the story right from the opening line and will hold you tight on through to the last page. Very perceptive work and very recommended.