Product Description

A Vietnam vet turned P.I. ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time - at the Jewel Arms apartments in St. Louis, as he matches wits with a ruthless killer. Elvin Suggs already knew how to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Decades earlier, spending time as a Green Beret during The Siege of Khe Sanh taught him about the wrong side of 1968. Now with his life in a shambles after his wife demands a divorce-brokenhearted and broke but determined to salvage his pride and his dreams-Elvin turns to the only person he can count on, Dimond Redding, his best friend's widow. A fellow 'Nam vet and new tenant at the Jewel Arms apartment building in St. Louis, Missouri, Dimond is ready to move out before Elvin even arrives when a random murder occurs right outside her front door. She can't break her lease, but with a ruthless killer on the loose and corpses suddenly turning up everywhere, she wonders if she'll be the next victim. Homicide Detective Rick Valentino doesn't seem to be getting anywhere fast on the case, so experienced Private Investigator Elvin lends a hand, working to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The odd assortment of tenants and strange goings-on at the Jewel Arms provide more questions than answers, including connections with Elvin's past. When another car with Tennessee plates shows up at the apartment building is it a coincidence, or is someone following him? As Elvin inches closer to the truth he has to remind himself that he knows all about the wrong places and times. Only this time he's got nothing to lose-he's on the wrong side of Memphis.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1448645 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
"Claire Applewhite's debut mystery THE WRONG SIDE OF MEMPHIS is a polished story wrapped in layers of intrigue, sharpened by unexpected twists, and warmed by heartfelt emotions. A grisly murder in a South St. Louis apartment baffles police and residents alike, and sets in motion an intricate plot that careens to a satisfying ending you'll never see coming. The characters are compelling, with their human frailties and strengths expertly drawn. You'll be racing toward the end of this book but wanting it not to end just yet, so you can hang out with the characters a while longer. I'm ready for the next book so I can rejoin Dimond, Elvin, Vanna, and Cobra, who have each other's backs, even though one of them walks on four legs."
- Shirley Kennett, author of the PJ Gray mysteries

"This is an old-fashioned who-dunnit, and don't let the title fool you. It's set in St. Louis, a hard-scrabble apartment building where all the tenants have dreams and secrets, and some have motive and opportunity. It's a place I might not want to live, but I sure enjoyed my visit.

If Sam Spade lived in St. Louis, he'd feel at home in the Jewel Arms, where all the tenants have secrets. When Di Redding moved in, she thought she was starting a new life. She didn't realize she'd have to call on her late husband's Vietnam buddy to help sort out the secrets and solve a series of murders."

-Bill McClellan-St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Claire Applewhite gives us non-stop suspense and vividly drawn characters. You'll love this novel set in St. Louis - Bobbi Smith

Customer Reviews

The Wrong Side of Memphis
Not many books allow for the kind of cultural flavor that this book offers. It lets us experience the "hidden" crime in St. Louis, MO that other states simply don't know about. When you read this book, you'll feel like you know St. Louis a little bit better--so you'll remember to bring your gun.

Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
Dimond Redding, former Vietnam War field nurse, moves to St. Louis for some peace and quiet, thinking to retire there. But that's not to be. Two weeks later, a man is murdered in the apartment across the hall from Di. Di suspects the investigating detective is focusing on the wrong person when he arrests a friend of one of the tenants in Di's building. Elvin Suggs, Green Beret during the Vietnam War, is reeling from his wife's demands for a divorce. Suggs takes his dog and heads to St. Louis to visit Di, his best friend's widow. Suggs, a private investigator, suspects something afoul when more people are murdered in Di's apartment building, including his wife. When Suggs is accused of his wife's murder, he decides to investigate on his own and soon finds his own life in danger.

Applewhite brings focus to Vietnam vets via the characters in this book, stressing their outlook on the war and the role they played in it as well as the lives they lead and the friendships they cherish from that time period. This whodunit has plenty of suspects with several shifty characters, all with secrets of their own, occupying the apartment building. Suggs is an appealing character with a warm heart and zest for life. His dog Vanna adds an appealing dimension to the read, as does Cobra, the homeless Vietnam vet Suggs helps.

Wrong Side of Memphis
Great read. I couldn't put it down. Ms. Applewhite breathed true life into her characters.