A Cutthroat Business: A Savannah Martin Novel (Savannah Martin Mysteries Book 1)

This is a review of the series, books 1 to 15. I’ve read them all, to my great enjoyment.This series features both the mystery component and the relationships component. Each book is a standalone mystery. However, each book progresses the relationships and, along the way through the series, there are multiple revelations which are surprising and a real treat to read.The main character is 27 yr old Savannah, who grew up the town princess in an antebellum mansion on a hill in a small community an hour south of Nashville. She now lives in Nashville, is divorced, and is trying to start a new career in real estate. She’s smart, a bit ditzy, and keeps coming into conflict with some stifling Southern Belle expectations.The other main character is 30 yr old Rafe, who grew up the town bad boy in the same community as Savannah, only on the other side of the tracks, so to speak, and is of mixed race. He went to prison at the age of 18 for beating a man. He and Savannah haven’t seen each other since high school, their paths unexpectedly cross, and so begins the series....The tone of the series is light, though there are serious moments. I really enjoyed the evolution of the various relationships over the course of the series, which takes place from August of one year to December of the following year.In case any of the following bothers you,1. This series touches on hidden and not-so-hidden racism in the fictional Middle Tennessee town that is at the heart of the series. There’s a big, nasty racial slur very early on in “A Cutthroat Business” that nearly caused me to stop reading. I’m glad I continued because the book didn’t go where I feared it was going; however, though I understand the context, I really wish that word was removed from the book. It’s low to use it, hugely offensive and totally unnecessary, in my view.2. There are multiple out-of-wedlock births. Life is messy sometimes. Plus, these births are part of the great revelations.3. There are infrequent swear words, like the eff word. The use of this language is realistic for the few situations where it was used.4. There’s a fair amount of descriptive sex (non-marital and marital) throughout the series, beginning with book #3. Personally, I thought it was realistic and what I would expect of young lovers (having been young and madly in love myself). Plus, I thought it was hot.5. There’s a bit of mild, descriptive violence at times, though not much and usually only towards the bad guys.6. There’s occasional mild disrespect toward the family matriarch, who has a touch of #1 above and needs to be nudged into the 21st century.I recommend reading “A Cutthroat Business” because it sets up the key relationships and tone for the series. If you like that, you’ll probably like the other books. I didn’t read them in order, and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the books or the series.I give the series as a whole 5 stars for the great relationships arc, though individual books might be less than that.I give this first book, A Cutthroat Business, 5 stars. Good writing, good mystery, hot sexual attraction (no sex), and 2 eff words.My public library carries all of the books in this series. Thumbs up for that.

This is a good mystery, the first in the series. I love the varied characters!!! It's a little bit slow moving in parts, but it is an entertaining book with lots of mystery and a bit of romance. I'm enjoying the southern setting. Very entertaining!

This review refers to the five books in the series, of which 'A Cutthroat Business' is the first. In this series, the author has created appealing characters in the two protagonists, the southern belle Savannah, an open minded woman with a strong empathetic nature, and the enigmatic Rafe, a decent man in spite of having experienced the very worst of human nature throughout his life. They are accompanied by a variety of well drawn secondary characters, many of whom the reader is happy to meet again over the course of the five months of life-changing events in Savannah's life that the series covers. The dialogue is realistic and often amusing, the drama is often tense and the humour is frequently satirical. What stands out in this series are the human issues that the author incorporates into the stories, which give them a distinct substance -- issues such as unquestioned values; the complexities of personal identity (especially when imposed from without); racism and hypocrisy; age, gender and class power/powerlessness, to name a few.On the mystery level, Savannah becomes involved in solving crimes revolving around friends, acquaintances and family, often putting her life in danger. While the reader can sometimes work out the identity of the villain well before Savannah does, this doesn't detract from the worth of the books -- Savannah herself is the first to admit her naivete and occasional stupidity -- instead it adds to the dramatic tension. The investigative experiences enhance Savannah's growth in personal courage and confidence, as well as facilitating the growth of her relationship with Rafe. In these activities she at times enlists his help but also accidentally interferes with his own work, sometimes causing unforeseen consequences in his life.On the romance level, the books present a developing love story between a woman from a conservative and privileged social sphere and a man whose background includes violence, poverty and a prison sentence -- a man whose integrity is dismissed by many in Savannah's world because he is deemed to be both black and 'white trash.' When they first meet, Savannah is in the process of questioning many of the standards and conventions that she was brought up to maintain and while it takes her a long time to acknowledge that she loves Rafe, she soon understands that being with him allows her to think for herself; he is the catalyst that allows her to grow into her true self. Similarly, meeting Savannah proves to be a life-changing experience for Rafe (although for other reasons). While Rafe comes to love Savannah, he is too worldly-wise to readily verbalize it, as he fully understands the reality of their life situations. It takes misunderstandings, tragedy, near-death experiences and the support of siblings and friends to clarify to both of them the special value of their relationship. The series was entertaining and I hope the author continues with it beyond book five.

Story line was not too bad but the body shaming descriptives right through the story was way too much. Took away from enjoying the book. Would not read the next in the series.

Although it is a murder mystery, it is light reading. The characters do not have that much depth, but are interesting. It reads like a TV special. I do not think I will bother with anymore of this series. As a stand alone, I do recommend this book.

An enoyable story, an interesting and quirky protagonist and a fast paced prose make this book one I'd recommend.

Great mystery...keeps you interested all the way to the end

Enjoyable mm mmm the the the the the 5 the the the the the the ccc gg to rrr wed