In the Night of Heat, A Review

In the Night of the Heat: A Tennyson Hardwick Story by Blair Underwood



Sexy underemployed actor and former gigolo turned part time super sleuth Tennyson Hardwick finds himself in the middle of another murder mystery as he tries to get his acting career and personal life on the right track. That's the backdrop for the second installment of the Tennyson Hardwick series In the Night of Heat.
The Hardwick series are the brainchild of actor Blair Underwood and noted authors Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. They present a picture of Hollywood's upper middle class African American community and the privileges and dangers that sometimes come with thier lifestyle.
In this installment, former football superstar TD Jackson, the number one suspect in the murder of his ex-wife and her fiancee, has been cleared of the criminal charges but his worries are far from over. There is the civil charges for wrongful death and the death threats that lead him to Tennyson for help. Ten, as the handsome super sleuth is better known, declines to take on the case and the action begins.
As with any good mystery/suspense there are other stories taking place in Ten's life. He's trying to work through his new family dynamic complete with his father, a retired LAPD police captain; his new "daughter" Chela; and his relationship with new love April.
The action moves pretty quickly after the first couple of chapters as new characters and events change the course of Ten's life.
Much like a "Law & Order" episode the storyline, though altered by creative license, seemed ripped straight from the headlines and not to cheesy.
One downfall I encountered was the lack of copyediting. There were a number of typos - basically repeated phrases that caused the reader to reread sections, particularly the further you got into the book.
The series is being written for the screen, but I just don't see Blair Underwood as Ten; yet all in all I would rate this a good read when you're looking to be taken away from your life and want to live vicariously through Tennyson Hardwick.

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