Bite the Moon: A Molly Mullet Mystery [Hardcover]

When I first became aware of the fact that this book was a mystery I could not imagine what the title meant. Now I know that it was the title of a song recorded by a very up-and-coming country singer named Trenton Wolfe and his group, Wolfe Pack. The entire story centers around this song and the lengths people will go to in order to establish artistic credit for their work and the fierce competition involved in popular hit songs.

Molly Mullet is a 32 year old woman who has been a widow for 5 years. After she witnessed the death of her husband in a botched robbery attempt she decided to attend the police academy and became an officer in the New Braunfels, Texas, Police Department. She was moonlighting at the Solms Halle dance hall on a night when Trenton Wolfe was appearing as a sort of payback for all the times he and his band had been allowed to play on stage there before they made it big in the recording industry. It was a night which changed the direction of Molly's life again. Not only did she discover the very dead body of Rodney Faver, general manager of Wolfe's band, but her lifelong friend Bobby Wiggins was arrested for the crime.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the writing style of Ms Fanning even though I prefer to read books which are not written in the first person style. I think I would have liked it even more if that style had not been chosen. The atmosphere of suspense was very well maintained throughout the book and I cannot say that I knew for sure who the murderer was but I was suspicious about his motives. She did a very good job of allowing us into the killers mind without revealing his identity and I found it a clever writing device. The description of the condition of the wound for the first victim was disturbing to me. I'm sure Ms Fanning was drawing on her experience of writing about real crime but those passages are not for the squeamish. I will be very glad when I can let thoughts of that bucket fade from my memory.

I read a lot of mysteries. Those I enjoy the most are those which tie up all loose ends. I am left with a lot of questions here. 1.) The bloody key is never explained. 2.) How did the killer know Molly was on her way to visit with Heather? 3.) How did the killer seem to know everything Molly was doing, even when she was out of town? 4.) Just one more sentence would have explained the connection between the Travis and Wiggins families. I didn't understand why they were on their way to meet at the bar. These things by themselves don't actually effect the enjoyment of the book, they just make me wonder. And I am definitely the wondering sort.

I do believe having so many regional references was rather distracting. I don't live in New Braunfels, Austin or Houston. Most of the local color was lost on me and sometimes was actually confusing. Why not just say Molly was on her way to Lamar Street, Avenue, Boulevard? I didn't know if Lamar was a town or a person and it was a distraction until I realized it was a street. I'm not suggesting leaving all the local descriptions out of future books. Just keep in mind some of us don't make it to Texas very often. Also, is the tattoo going to continue to be a focal point in other Molly Mullet mysteries? I hope not.

Overall, recommended. I liked the writing style, it was suspenseful, it was fast paced, it was exciting and very emotional when the death of Molly's husband, Charlie, was described. I also really liked the way Thelma Wiggins was written and I think I can come to appreciate Lisa if she is to appear in the next book. One thing I can tell you for sure, next time I will wait for the paperback. I paid full price for the hardcover and now Amazon has discounted the book. I'm not a happy camper but that is not the fault of Diane Fanning. Good luck to her with this new series.

*****After reading this review over again this morning I would like to add the following information. This book is a true mystery. It is not a romance/fantasy/science fiction/mystery or any other combination of those genre. Molly is still in deep mourning for her Charlie and there is no love interest and no romantic episodes in this book. That doesn't mean to say that the author may not go in that direction in the future, but in this book Molly is spending all her time just learning how to become a private investigator. Hope this helps you make your decision.*****

I ordered, Bite The Moon, in advanced! I should have looked into
the book further. I received my book. Needless, to say, I was
dismayed it was written in first person. The style of writing was
rather different. I had to force myself to finish the book it was
okay! I rather read in third person. A style of writing I don't
like. I prefer, the feel of all the characters involved in the story.
I didn't like the story line.

While waiting in a fast food hamburger jaunt for her husband, a hooded gunman kills one of her students working there and then her spouse when he enters. No longer satisfied with teaching, Molly Mullet joined the police academy and is now a police officer. She is moonlighting at the dance hall Solms Halle when she hears a commotion and sees blood leaking out of a closet. When the door is opened, the body of the manager of the band performing there is found.

Before a through investigation can be made, Bobby Wiggins the janitor who is mentally challenged is jailed but Molly knows the man with the mind of a four year old is innocent. She quits her job and offers to work gratis for the defense lawyer who has her working under his private investigator's license. She receives threats warning her off the case but she continues making inquiries when another member of the band is killed. An anonymous caller places her at the crime scene and she is brought in for questioning. When a song writer who has a connection to the band is murdered Molly believes the same person killed all three men and she intends to figure out who it is; although she does not know the killer wants and needs to make her victim number four.

Molly's belief in her childhood friend and her desire to have the real killer caught makes her an independent, strong willed and pig-headed woman who somehow makes the reader care about her. At first there is a plethora of suspects because the band manager had lots of enemies but as more people are killed, the suspects are whittled away and the investigation takes off in a new direction. Dianne Fanning has written an excellent police procedural even thought her protagonist is no longer on the force as she still thinks and works like a cop.

Harriet Klausner

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  3.3 out of 5 stars