Murder on the Gold Coast

by Barbara Fleming

A murdered millionaire, several wealthy prime suspects prepared to defend themselves at any cost, a homicide commander determined not to ruffle any important feathers, and a chief of police with a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970897014
• ISBN13: 9780970897015
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Silver Maple Press
• Length: 361 Pages

Customer Reviews

Murder in Black and Gold

Murder on the Gold Coast brims with surprises and revelations. Barbara Fleming's intelligent writing sheds wisdom and insight into the human condition. With her uncanny eye for detail and a well-tuned ear for dialogue, even Washington, DC is a character full of energy and personality. Fleming's writing is by turns lyrically poetic and as staccato as a crime report. Matthew Alexander deserves a long career investigating the District's crimes. And Barbara Fleming is building a solid body of work from the capers of this cunning detective. Murder on the Gold Coast is the newest installment of Fleming's Matthew Alexander Mystery Series. Someone has killed wealthy black real estate developer, Harold William Waterson, Sr., and, surprisingly, his Washington, DC social sphere encompasses a circle of people with motives. His elegant white wife is miserable. His son detests him. The black, beautiful Angela Bowman wants to end their affair. When Waterson winds up dead in the posh basement of Angela's parents, the three Bowman's maintain their innocence. While there is no hard evidence to implicate them, there is the matter of the murder weapon; that key piece of evidence - a 38-caliber revolver that emptied two slugs into Waterson's chest - is missing. Matthew Alexander steps in to unravel this mystery, wrestling against the odds, frustration, and time. Matt's personal history with Angela enhances the intrigue; they might have married had her father found him worthy. In his current marriage to sultry Carla, his life balances romantic negotiation, administrative head-games, and brutally long hours. His witnesses balk, and his leads sometimes disintegrate, but his instincts seldom betray him. This sharp, handsome detective is cocky for a reason. He's good at his job. Murder on the Gold Coast by Barbara Fleming Reviewed by Chiquita Mullins Lee

Murder on the Gold Coast

Murder on the Gold Coast keeps you wondering "who done it". Barbara Fleming's well written Matthew Alexander Mystery was a very good read.

Fleming is a sly writer with lots of talent

Barbara Fleming is an African-American writer who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Howard University in Washington D.C. HOT STONES, COLD DEATH is her first Lieutenant Matthew Alexander book, and following on its heels is MURDER ON THE GOLD COAST. Barbara Fleming presently lives in Ohio. Matthew Alexander is a Detective Lieutenant with the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) Police Department (known as DCPD). His partner is the senior James Jackson (Jake) who is a Detective Sergeant. They work in a highly volatile atmosphere, with Chief Jefferson Carter and their direct superior, Lloyd Cullison. Politics rule, and both Carter and Cullison are acutely aware of protecting their turf and furthering their own careers, sometimes at the expense of the cops on the beat. So when developer Harold Waterson is found murdered in the basement of Walter Bowman's home, Matt Alexander is automatically placed in an awkward position, since he used to date Walter Bowman's daughter Angela. For her part, Angela is hysterical, and her overly-protective father and mother aren't in much better shape. The murder weapon is nowhere to be found, and it is Matt's job to find the guilty party. There are plenty of suspects to go around, and all of them are lying, particularly the neighbor who was giving a party at the time of death: "'You're not dealing with a couple of idiots, Matthew Alexander! Your case isn't nearly as hot as it will get if you try to drag Tom and me into this mess! We weren't born yesterday! Try to pin this murder on us, and there will be hell to pay!' 'Since you protest your innocence so strongly, Claudia, maybe you can tell me where Tom was while Angela was in your kitchen last night?'" With her background as a psychologist, Barbara Fleming creates constant tension and interesting behaviors among nearly all of her characters. Her plot follows at breakneck speed, and Matt Alexander and his trust partner Jake are in the midst of all the chaos. The action is smart and highly entertaining, and even at the end she leaves a little snippet of doubt as to who the actual murderer is. No doubt this will come into play in the next installment of this most excellent murder series. Fleming is a sly writer with lots of talent and this is a great read. Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer

EXCELLENT, MEMORABLE and RICH

Murder on the Gold Coast is a juicy rich and gossipy piece of "for real" fiction enveloped in a mystery novel. Having lived in northwest section of the District of Columbia and surrounding areas, I found the story within the story to be convincing and stimulating. Of course, the mystery itself was quite organic and entertaining. My only quibble with the book is that upon its conclusion I still longed for more. Where is my dessert? EXCELLENT, memorable and rich in suspense & excitement; superb character development. This novel shows the author's growth since her first mystery novel (Hot Stones, Cold Death) as well as her heightened understanding of what Readers really want...

Vivid Dialogue

In her second novel, Fleming brings back Lieutenant Matthew Alexander, whose directness and lack of concern about embarrassing the wealthy and powerful make him a very appealing character. Alexander and his partner Jake are called to the scene of a homicide in the posh Gold Coast section of Washington, D.C., where the victim is a millionaire real estate developer. He died in the home of a young woman to whom Alexander had once been engaged, but she's only one of a collection of suspects with reasons to want the dead man out of their lives. Fleming knows how to write a gripping story, but what makes it especially vivid is her dialogue. With their words, her characters show their personalities, beliefs, and values. When they speak, you can almost see the flash of anger in their eyes, hear the chuckle in their voices, or sense the sorrow in their body language. These voices, freighted with emotion and edgy as they wait for the discovery of various truths, draw you into the world of the book and make it hard for you to put it down. Furthermore, Alexander knows that the truth he's looking for lies deep in those personalities. Suspense builds on every page. Add to this the tension between the lead detective and his bosses, the racial and family issues that won't go away, and the beautiful wife Alexander has at home, and the result is a satisfying complexity that pulls you into his world and keeps you there until the conclusion.