Review - Bridge at the Beach by Garrick Jones

Clyde is enjoying an afternoon at the beach with some friends, including Detective Sergeant Mark Dioli, when word comes that Mark is needed at the scene of a murder. Two married couples are found dead in a flat near the beach, apparently in the middle of a bridge game. The detective ends up consulting Clyde since one couple was known to him when Clyde was on the force. The husband was a thief Clyde had arrested several times before the man struck it rich and opened a jewelry shop. Clyde was also close friends with the son before going off to war. Clyde gets drawn into the case and soon uncovers connections to more of his past, as well as disconcerting connections to a few of his current investigations.

The Clyde Smith Mysteries returns with another complex case involving some of Clyde’s friends from his youth before the war, as well as links to international crime syndicates. The clues mount up, as well as the links to other crimes, but which of them will ultimately lead to the identity of the murderer? Although the case is totally new, Clyde isn’t like the classic lone detective. He has an agency full of people as well as his boyfriend, Harry. So, if you haven’t read most of the other books in the series, you may be a bit lost about who all the characters are.

In “Bridge at the Beach,” the already large cast of regular characters is joined by a larger collection of suspects and witnesses. Some of them are even using aliases, so keeping track of everyone can be a challenge. On top of a myriad of characters, there are motives aplenty. It takes a while for all the clues to come together and even once Clyde figures out whodunit, that isn’t the end of things for this case.

As always, the case is laid out from Clyde’s point of view. He remains a complex man, but one who is working on exorcising the demons that drive him, mostly because he wants to be a better person for Harry. The man Clyde wants to be with for the rest of his life plays a role in this story, but so do many other characters, all of whom form a found family for Clyde.

“Bridge at the Beach” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for links to other sites where you can purchase it.