Snakes, Guns, and Southern Sexy

There's cause to crush mint and ice at the Mojito Literary Society. Our most illustrious Tina Whittle debuts her second novel in the Tai Randolph series, titled Darker Then Any Shadows. Not yet officially released, the novel has already received lavish praise from the notoriously-curmudgeony Kirkus Review. And it's no wonder.

This sexy mystery thriller is not only a cozy worthy of Sherlock Holmes sophistication, but it also journeys into the sultry and seductive world of slam poetry, with its host of eccentric characters, high financial stakes, and talents as large as egos are fragile.

Tai Randolph is wittier, cuter and more curious then the proverbial cat. Her relationship with Trey Seaver is complicated by Trey's unraveling persona and its tendency to fall apart whenever Tai is confronted with murder -- which is often enough. Still this reader can't help but root for their strange relationship, and Whittle likes to toy with her readers in the steamy romantic scenes, using language that applies equally to murderous violence as it does to sex. The novel opens with "Be still, he said, his mouth at my ear." Watch out for the steamy end of chapter 29 and the double-entendre of the last line of dialog. A pet snake makes its debut as a murder suspect in need of a good lawyer, and rabbits disappear faster then you can say Abracadabra.

I will refrain from writing that I couldn't put down the book because that's a cliche'. Instead I will transcribe here the email I wrote to our talented Mojito Sister at 3 in the morning when I finished reading it:

I don't read fast enough for your books: the act of reading was getting in the way of the ideal speed at which I wanted to know what happened next -- and some of the scenes were truly hot, and I totally got and cared for all these characters. The snake involvement and consequent setup was hilarious. Wow, what a writer you are!!!

Click here for an excerpt or pre-order here.