“I’m now playing the biggest poker hand of my life with no cards.”
Bluff is an entertaining and fun read! I don’t usually read mysteries but the outstanding cover grabbed my attention and piqued my curiosity. And I am glad it did. Bluff is a fine read which will keep you guessing and wondering, perfect for the beach or a rainy day at home.
Bluff is a somewhat atypical mystery in that the murder occurs in the opening pages and the novel is devoted to Why it happened. This does not diminish the book’s entertainment value at all. In Hitchcock’s capable hands, knowing the outcome does not detract from the suspense of discovering and understanding the Why.
Maud Warner, the protagonist, is a 56 year old socialite who was cheated out of her mother’s inheritance by an overly zealous, greedy and immoral accountant named Burt Sklar. The reader will come to despise Sklar nearly as much as Maud does as well as admire the clever Maud while rooting for her to succeed.
The book begins with a great sentence - “Death is colorful in the fall,” which for me, sets up an imaginative mystery. We meet Maud as she its heading over to The Four Seasons in NYC. At the restaurant, she tells the maitre d’ that she is meeting Burt Sklar, who is dining with Sun Sunderland. The maitre d’ leads her to their table and, while standing behind him, Maude pulls a gun out of her purse and shoots at Sklar and Sunderland. Who was she aiming for? She then walks out of the restaurant and goes to Penn Station where she grabs an Amtrak train back to her home in Washington D.C.
As it turns out, Maud killed Mr. Sunderland and this raises a number of questions for the reader — What was Maud’s relationship to Sunderland and why would she want him dead? Was the bullet meant for Sklar? Clearly there was motive with Sklar but what was the motive for killing Sunderland? Was Maud a poor shot or unfamiliar with guns and how to use them? Did Maud have a psychotic break with reality that caused her to act this way? Could it be something else entirely? Well, you will have to read the book to find out why Maud did it and what ultimately happens to her.
Hitchcock is brilliant at creating the overarching analogy between life and the game of poker. In fact, Maud has learned important life lessons from poker.
“The great truth of poker—and of life—can be summed up in two words: ‘Next hand’.”
“I lied, of course. The bluff was my specialty, in poker and in life. But then, all poker players lie—just to keep in practice.”
“Convincing bluffing is the real key to a successful poker career. And like pretty much everything in life, poker is about people. You have to know when and whom to bluff.’
Hitchcock’s writing is user-friendly and the book flows well. It is hard to put down because of its intricately woven plot and desire to know the Why.
I liked Hitchcock’s writing and in particular, the amusing lines narrated by Maud. Hitchcock excels at turning a phrase and comic timing in her writing. She takes familiar phrases and re-invents them and uses certain words in an entirely new context, where you would least expect to find them.
“My parents had many famous friends. Their glamorous parties were so packed with celebrities, I used to refer to myself as ‘the only person there I didn’t know’.”
"Greta knows that great hostesses have to be vampires, ever in search of new blood to keep their parties lively.”
“Although, as a once-great beauty, she considered aging to be the ultimate terrorist attack.”
“When I met Burt Sklar, our family was misery on a stick, ready to be gobbled up by a hungry predator.”
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
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