Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
It’s wedding time for Noah’s mother and the venue is none other than Las Vegas. With Marc, Louis, Leon, and Tina in tow, Noah et al head to the venue where they find themselves in the posh upper floor in nicely appointed suites, with everything comped from meals to tips thanks to Noah’s future brother-in-law, Sonny. Along with Sonny, there are three sisters Noah knew nothing about, having never before met their father, Cotton Preston, his mom’s future husband. In fact, on the drive to the casino/hotel, Noah discovers his friends have spent more time chatting about the upcoming nuptials with his mom, Angie, than he has.
He’d like to blame it on the flu he’s still recovering from, but the truth is, Noah isn’t sure his mom should be marrying Cotton at all. It’s nothing substantial, but he just has a gut feeling about the whole thing and that’s magnified after meeting the guy and his family. Still, Noah wants his mom to be happy and it appears Cotton fulfils that wish. Everything seems to be going well until a suitcase full of something other than clothes shows up in his Angie’s hotel suite, followed up by a murder that shocks everyone to the core. But the crack investigative team of Noah and his pals are on the case and nobody gets away with murder when they are around.
Marshall Thornton releases his latest Pinx Video Mystery, Cash Out, this Christmas and it is just as marvelous as the past stories. Be forewarned, if you have not read the other books in this series, this review may contain a few spoilers. With the whole gang back together and invited to Angie’s wedding, things are sure to get crazy and they do. Noah hasn’t even met his future stepfather, Cotton, or his family. The only thing he knows after being introduced is that Cotton’s son-in-law, Sonny, works for a law firm that deals with the mob back in Chicago and that is never a good thing. Events unfold very quickly in this novel, and from the arrival of a former best friend of his mom’s, Aunt Katie, to a mysterious redheaded woman who warns Noah not to “let it happen,” whatever that might be, all is not right in Vegas. When a murderer strikes and Noah’s mom, Angie, is a key suspect, Noah turns to the one man who might be able to help—if he even takes his call, that is.
While Javier is still out of the picture for Noah and there is definitely residual anger from their last encounter, we still catch a glimpse of him in this novel and my heart holds out hope that these two will still get together in future books. Until then, this crazy crew of guys is just so much fun to watch as they play amateur detectives alongside Noah’s mom and their friend, Tina. My love for Marc and Louis continue to grow as the two make the most wonderful friends for Noah. Leon is irascible as ever and more absent than present, as his addiction to gambling keeps him busy in the hotel casino. But the ensemble figures out the crime, as usual, and this time with no grievous bodily injury to poor Noah, as we have seen in the past.
With endless plots still available to this author, I can only dream that this wonderful series will continue. Currently set in the early 1990s, there are plenty of years left to cover and I, for one, will be waiting eagerly for the next installment. Until then, I will savor the visit with this gang in Cash Out.
