Rachel´s Random Resources: Dashiki by Florence Wetzel

 

As much as I love crime stories, I am equally very fond of jazz, but until reading Dashiki. A Cozy Mystery by Florence Wetzel never happened to me to see the two of them on the same page. But there is always a first.

The last person, except her murderer, that Betty Brown/Baseema Baheera met was journalist Virginia Farrell. She just shared with Virginia some exquisite tapes of a gig from the end of the 1950s between Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Not afraid, Virginia wants to continue the story, trying to recover the tapes while cooperating with detective Robert Smith from Hoboken Police Department to reveal the truth. Which may lead or may not lead to a bit of romance that may help the reader breath after so much tension due to the intricated ways leading to the truth.

Reading Dashiki - the name of a hit, but originally a word that designates a colourful men´s garment worn in Western Africa that covers the half top of the body  - was an immersive experience into the surroundings and the ambiance of the book, similarly in many respects to the jazz experience itself. The bubbling dialogues do spice well the story, which unfolds in a moderately paced rhythm. 

The characters are hard to forget either, with the detective himself very much into many human psychology after thoughts and his genuine efforts to get back into the dating track despite the delicate nature of his job and the fact that at least for a short while Virginia herself was on the list of top suspects. 

The book is well seasoned with important details of jazz history, displaying Wetzel´s extensive knowledge in this field. And the intrigues going on in an office of a jazz magazine were new music for my ears too.

To be read with a matching jazzy background.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own