Bruce Von Stiers

Every once in a while I come across a gem of a mystery novel. This type of novel is where you want to read it cover to cover in one sitting. A novel that I just finished gave me that feeling, even though I couldn’t just stop and read it all at one time. The title of this mystery novel is Splendor Bay. It was written by L.B. Cobb and published by AdvanceBooks.

I know, Splendor Bay sounds more like a romance novel than a mystery. But you have multiple murders, sex and violence and a man trying to pull his life back together. This man is Bill Glasscock, an attorney who let his practice go down the toilet and got his license suspended. This could be traced back to his wife cheating on him with the Governor.

As the book opens, Bill is on the balcony of a house that he is staying at. He sees some people gathering at the beach down below him. There is a dead body down there. Bill finds out that it is the Governor. Immediately Bill becomes a suspect. Because in this bedroom seaside community of Splendor Bay, there are no secrets. Or are there?

Willie Moreno was Governor of the state and Bill’s nemesis. While Bill was busy being a hot shot attorney, his wife found solace in the arms of Moreno. When Bill finds out, his life crumbles. He leaves Center City and comes back home to Splendor Bay. We get all of this information in bits and pieces throughout the story.

We find out that the house that Bill’s staying at is his girlfriend’s. It seems Sally is the state’s Attorney General, and Bill’s wife Eleana’s cousin. And one of the cops that is investigating the death of the Governor. Tiny, has been Bill’s best friend since childhood. Another character thrown into the mix is Davy,
Bill’s diabetic teenage son.

As things start to get rolling in the investigation, Moreno’s driver ends up being dead. And both Sally and Eleana are missing. Eleana ends up being found but Sally is still gone. Her twin sister, Lisbeth, is covering for her somehow. And some of the other people of Splendor Bay that are a part of Bill’s life, including Lisbeth’s husband Chester, all seem to have their own agendas in the murder investigation.

More bodies start piling up and Bill begrudging helps out a local FBI agent to get to the bottom of these murders. Is it a major conspiracy or just somebody trying to cover their tracks? Can Bill really trust this guy? And can he put his marriage back together?

The way that the leaders from local levels on up to the Presidency act provide a pretty solid foundation for a novel such as this. With Presidents having to admit to having sex with White House staffers and members of Congress going to prison for being corrupt, a crooked Governor like Willie Moreno is not too far fetched.

Splendor Bay is a mystery novel that could actually happen. People in power do like to take advantage and some people would just roll over and bow out of a marriage rather than try to fix it. Then when life takes a tragic turn, the seemingly weak parties step up and take command. And can we really trust the people we call our friends?

Check out the AdvanceBooks web site for information about where to get a copy of Splendor Bay. Their web site is www.advancebooks.com.