The Final Appointment

 The Final Appointment (1979) by Marcia Blair (Marc Baker)

Tory Baxter is a nurse who has discovered a talent as an amateur sleuth--at least she thinks so. Her friend Lt. Jay Thorpe of the San Francisco Police isn't so sure. He thinks she's more liable to get herself into trouble and drag him along with her. But when Dina Severson approaches Tory about a problem she and her two friends, Felicia Adams and Candice Jeffers, are facing, Tory simply can't resist. 

Someone has been harassing Felicia--entering her apartment and making it obvious that someone has been there, though not stealing anything. Then threatening messages are written on fashion designs that Felicia has been working on. And finally, just before Tory is called upon, copies of a group phot of the three young women are sent with Felicia's face X'd out in red. When Felicia disappears from her apartment and is later found dead at the bottom of the building's stairs, Jay and the police say it looks like an accident. But Tory is sure it's not and begins following up clues--from tracking down the child of man dismissed from the Adams & Jeffers firm for embezzlement to "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" golden charms found at the scene of the crimes. Her researches lead her to a final showdown with a dangerous killer....she can only hope that Jay will be in time to prevent one more murder--hers!

This book is one of a series of Zebra Mystery Puzzler Books. As indicated on the cover, the set-up for these books is that all the clues necessary for the reader to solve the mystery before the final reveal are given in the cover photo, various illustrations within the story, and, as with good mysteries clues given in the text. I obtained and read one of this series a very long time ago (over 30 years). I enjoyed it but never came across another until fairly recently. I got an assortment of them for Christmas last year and thought I ought to see if the set-up holds up now. 

The mystery plot is fairly decent, but I will say that there aren't a lot of suspects to choose from. By the time the book indicates that we have all we need to solve the mystery, there are really only two suspects remaining. The clues are all there (I think I spotted them all), but I didn't really need them since it became a matter of process of elimination. So, my only real criticism about the plot is that it's not complicated enough. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I did, but I would have appreciated a bit more challenge.

The other point I'd make is that Tory spends an awful lot of time shouting at Jay. Of course, this is because the two are attracted to each other and just haven't admitted it yet and the trend in mysteries often seems to be to have the couple who will wind up together at odds with one another throughout the book and then suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, they wind up in each other's arms at the end having discovered that they really do like each other after all. In this instance it seems pretty out of character for Tory because she's so level-headed and calm in every situation that comes along, but as soon a Jay shows up (he doesn't even have to say anything) she starts bristling and shouting. 

All that said, this is still a fun, light read. If you don't want an overly complicated plot and just want to exercise the little grey cells a little bit, then this may be the right format for you. It was a nice little evening's diversion for me. ★★★

First line: Tory Baxter was more puzzled than alarmed when she realized she was being followed.

Last line: Sighing, she leaned back in the chair to get her breath and to relive that staggering moment.

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Deaths = 5 (one fell down stairs; two auto accident; one drowned; one natural)