The Seduction of Miriam Cross (Book Review)

Title: The Seduction of Miriam Cross
Author: W. A. Tyson

Publication Information: E-Lit Books, paperback, 2013

Genre: Mystery

Plot: Delilah Percy Powers is a private investigator heading an all-female agency.  A former client asks Delilah to investigate the mysterious murder of her aunt, Miriam Cross, a bestselling author.  Miriam had cared enough about her battered niece to offer her a home and financial support, and was also a committed human rights activist, but had no known enemies and the police have abandoned their inquiry into her death.  Delilah decides to add a computer forensics expert to her staff, Matthew Anderson, to help analyze Miriam’s background and online presence for clues and is slightly distracted from her investigation by “Anders'” intensity and charm.   Drawn into a web of lies, secrets and sexual obsession, the agency gets close to the truth behind Miriam’s death but in so doing the women find themselves in great danger. . .

What I liked: This is an unusual mystery with quirky and amusing characters.  Delilah and her unusual staff are determined to solve the secret of Miriam’s death regardless of personal danger (perhaps they should be also little more mindful of the client’s safety as they carry out their investigation – I am not sure I would hire them!) and the reader is definitely curious about future Percy Powers cases.  I also enjoyed the Philadelphia setting.

What I disliked:  Delilah has never recovered from the death of her father when she was 12 or the loss of her fiancé, whose body was never recovered from a kayaking accident.  Her melancholy casts a shade over the book but it is no excuse for her short fuse and rudeness to pretty much everyone with whom she comes into contact.  She is not a likeable heroine, although the feisty women who work for her are appealing in their different ways.  It is not totally clear to me why Miriam hid from her pursuers instead of turning them in to the authorities, although I suppose it was related to her sexual obsessions, which I found tedious.

Source:  Overall, this was a fun read.  I received the book from TLC Book Tours and you can visit other stops on the tour listed below.   TLC is providing a copy for me to give away - please leave a comment if you'd like it!  If there's more than one request, I will do a lottery.

W. A.  Tyson’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, December 2nd:  From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, December 4th:  Book-alicious Mama

Thursday, December 5th:  Bewitched Bookworms

Friday, December 6th:  Not in Jersey

Monday, December 9th:  Kritter’s Ramblings

Tuesday, December 10th:  Simply Stacie

Wednesday, December 11th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Thursday, December 12th:  Reading Reality

Thursday, December 12th:  Kahakai Kitchen

Friday, December 13th:  Bibliotica

Monday, December 16th:  Sara’s Organized Chaos

Wednesday, December 18th:  Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Thursday, December 19th:  A Chick Who Reads

Friday, December 20th:  Broken Teepee

Monday, December 23rd:  Bookchickdi