Title:	Prescription for Murder
	Author:	E.E. Smith
	Published:	2014, Phoenix International, Inc.
	No. of Pages:	202
	Cover Price:	$3.99 Kindle Edition US

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Prescription for Murder is E.E. Smith's fourth installment in the Alexis J. Smith Discreet Inquiries Mysteries. Alexis and her beau, Harry Hawkins, are vacationing in Majorca in a little village called Porto Cristo. Alexis has just purchased a wedding dress, and they have made arrangements for the ceremony. However, Lexie receives an urgent telegram from her sister, Mary, asking her to come to Sacramento because their mother is ill. The problem is, Lexie's mother died years ago, and she is not close to her sister. Lexie chooses to skip her wedding and immediately go to Sacramento. Once there, Lexie teams up with friend and FBI agent, Kit Carson. A senator has been murdered, and their friend, Nikki Yamaguchi's fingerprints are in the senator's study. Because of that and other circumstantial evidence, Nikki is in jail, charged with the murder. As the story unfolds, there are plenty of twists and turns, including association with the Irish Mafia, who threatens the lives of both Lexie and Mary.

This historical/police procedural suspense novel takes place in 1949; the author not only lived during that time, but has obviously done research to create scenarios that ring true. Readers will get a feel for the time period, and how crimes were solved before cell phones and computers. Throughout the series, Lexie seems to be a magnet for trouble and dangerous situations, often needing others to rescue her. Smith has done a good job of showing most of the characters as regular people with common flaws (i.e., Kit is quite arrogant, etc.), but it seems a bit odd that Lexie could be on the verge of getting married and shows little or no emotion when the wedding is called off and she travels back home to solve a mystery. That said, it seems that a little more time could have been spent on the characterizations of Lexie and Harry.

Prescription for Murder is a fast read; it is well-written, professionally edited, and doesn't contain graphic sex or violence. It's a fun novel for suspense readers of almost any age, and is definitely recommended for those who want a taste of life in the 1940s.

Special thanks to P.J. Nunn of Breakthrough Promotions for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon: Prescription for Murder