Official Review: Fair Game Foul Play by Daniel Pascoe

[mary-annef]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fair Game Foul Play" by Daniel Pascoe.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Fair Game Foul Play by Daniel Pascoe is the story of Arnold and Tamara Westlake. To all appearances, the Westlakes are a sweet couple, content with each other, and with their quiet country life. Arnie is the village librarian, and Tammy works four days a week in a local coffee shop, where her baked goods are much sought after. But when someone from the past contacts Tammy, why does she feel the need to keep their meetings secret from her husband? And what is her relationship with Ben Pollock, the wealthy, womanizing property developer, who is also Arnie’s golfing buddy? The police must consider all this when Arnie reports his wife missing.

I love the premise of this book, that is, that one never knows what goes on behind closed doors. Pascoe has a good storyline, and I can imagine this book making a great movie. It’s less of a whodunnit than a “can they get away with it,” and Pascoe builds the tension nicely towards the end of his book.

However, pace and characterization were problematic throughout the story. For example, rather than lulling the reader into a false sense of security with bucolic scenes of loving coupledom, Pascoe slams us with the pair’s discord in the third paragraph of the book. While Arnie “resentfully” walks the family dog, he describes his wife as “unrepentant and dogged in her criticism.” From this and more, one gets the impression of a middle-aged, frumpy harpy of a woman, and a grumpy old man. In fact, the couple is regarded as pleasant, and are generally well-liked. That, and that Tammy is a beautiful woman is quite important to the storyline. As it comes out, one has to back-engineer one’s picture of both. My feeling is it would have been more effective if portrayed the other way around, that is if we were presented with the outward appearance and slowly shown the cracks. Perhaps Pascoe received such criticism previously because he starts his tale with “a short note, before we begin…," apparently written by a neighbor, explaining how shocked everyone was when mild-mannered Arnie eventually lost his temper. It's a bit of a cop-out, in my opinion.

Additionally, there was a significant amount of mundane detail that served no purpose. I think a third of the text could have been edited out without being missed. Even Arnie’s hobby of miniature train collecting, while it helped establish his fastidious nature, turned out to have no purpose.

I'm rating Fair Game Foul Play 3 out of 4 stars. I found a few errors, but they didn't detract from the story. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy “cozy crime” along the lines of the TV services “Murder She Wrote,” or British crime stories such as Anne Cleeves’s writing. Arnie's internal dialogue contains quite a bit of profanity, though, so readers sensitive to this should beware. Trimming the word count would increase the book's appeal to a younger generation, I think.

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Fair Game Foul Play
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[Miraphery]

This is an intriguing story for sure, I'm so reading this one. Thanks for the review.

[NetMassimo]

I have mixed feelings about this novel. The plot seems intriguing, but the couple's characterization makes them annoying. Thank you for your informative review!

[Prisallen]

How true it is that "one never knows what goes on behind closed doors." This sounds like an interesting book. I can't help wondering what happened to Tamara. Thanks for your well-written and interesting review!

[Tonika632]

A cozy mystery is not my everyday pick, I rather watch TV shows on that theme. I like a good crime/thriller/ mystery book with lots of action.

[Mutai Marshal]

I'll pass it because of the mundaneness. Thanks for this insightful review

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Fair Game Foul Play by Daniel Pascoe offers a deep dive into the Westlakes' seemingly peaceful life, challenging our perceptions of what's behind closed doors. Its tension-filled storyline makes for a compelling read. Fans of cozy crime tales will find this intriguing. Congratulations on being BOTD!

[Jacky Muriuki]

The sample made me ponder about the second incident that caused Arnie to lose his cool. This book appears to be an intriguing mystery. In my opinion, this is an absolute must-read.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting crime thriller fiction novel highlighting mystery, suspense, secrecy, investigation, a missing spouse, and unique characters. The book is temporarily discounted on Amazon Kindle and has an inciteful OnlineBookClub review. Congrats on the BOTD selection.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

It seems that Tammy and Ben having a secret that might involve Arnie's wife become missing. This crime to investigate makes the story interesting to follow. Congratulations to the author for sharing this "cozy crime" thriller book, and for being BOTD!

[Sanju Lali]

A nice intriguing story can be found in the book "Fair Game Foul Play" by Daniel Pascoe, which follows a sweet couple, Arnold and Tamara Westlake, who are content with each other. The story appears entertaining to me.

[Mimo77]

Absolutely loved this insightful review of "Fair Game Foul Play"! The premise sounds captivating, and I'm intrigued by the tension-building and hidden dynamics. Your balanced critique about pacing, characterization, and extraneous details adds depth to the assessment. Your recommendation is spot-on, and the idea of trimming the book's length for a younger audience is a thoughtful suggestion. Thanks for sharing this detailed review!

[Amy Luman]

Even the most mild mannered among us would surprise others with our private behavior. After all, when a serial killer is discovered their neighbors always say, "I never would have expected it." Congratulations on BOTD!

[Taiwo_Olawoye]

I think Fair Game, Fowl Play depicts the average family in our society. Where things appear nicely and cozy outwardly until you move closer. Arnold and Tamara Westlake present this outwardly happy family filled with cracks of deceit that culminated in murder. Thanks for the review.

[Ams Strong]

Great review. I agree the author kind of ruined the story in the first few pages by admitting the couple was facing issues. I was hoping he would make up for it down the road. I still sense that there is some great potential in unraveling the mystery behind the missing wife. I dislike stories that get unecessarily draggy.