Vegas Nerve

by: Susan Rogers Cooper

Published by: Thomas Dunne Books

Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE

Sheriff Milt Kovak leaves Prophesy, his small Oklahoma county, in the hands of his capable deputy, Emmett Hopkins. His psychiatrist wife is speaking at a conference in Las Vegas and he's along for moral support. At least that how it starts out.

Kovak gets a phone call from cousin, Maida. She's come to Las Vegas with her husband, Burl to see their pregnant daughter. They discover that their daughter is being physically abused. Burl takes on his son-in-law and beats him to a pulp. But son-in-law's daddy is one of the richest casino owners in Las Vegas--and Burl ends up in jail.

Within 24 hours Milt gets Burl out as a professional courtesy, the son-in-law is killed, Emmett starts an affair with one of the deputies back home, crime jumps fourfold in Prophesy county, and Maida's four sons show up to help find Dad and save the day. It gets more complicated from there. Long-buried family issues come to light and skeletons come out of every closet.

As a reader I found so much going on in Las Vegas that the goings on in Prophesy County seemed little more than a distraction. The author weaves a tale that becomes more complicated as each chapter unfolds. You will be challenged to keep all the characters straight--as well as their whereabouts. Relationships become more complicated and motives multiply. Finally in only the last few pages all is revealed.

Armchair Interviews says: Vegas Nerve is complex, fast paced and entertaining to the end. Cooper is an Edgar-nominated author of three mystery series.