Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Things go south for a private investigator acting as a bodyguard when his client turns up murdered in the stimulating murder mystery novel, Film Noirs and Mini Bars (A Sterling P.I. Series) by John Kemp. Once a member of the police force, Sterling is now a gumshoe, renting a small office out of a London dry cleaners and spying on cheating spouses. When a very distressed man comes in and offers Sterling a large sum of cash to accompany him to Los Angeles, Sterling is leery. Although he has doubts about the job, Sterling has rent to pay, so he warily accepts the man's offer. However, Sterling's suspicions are confirmed when he discovers his client's bloody corpse in his hotel room. Sterling is now left with the mystery of his client's identity and his motives for hiring Sterling. Can he remain below the police radar as a suspect and ahead of the murderer as he tries to get answers?

Film Noirs and Mini Bars (A Sterling P.I. Series) by John Kemp is an entertaining murder mystery novel with the magnetism of a Philip Marlowe mystery. It is an intriguing portrayal of a modern-day private investigator modeled after private eyes of another era. The protagonist, Sterling, is a fascinating character with the necessary suaveness of a world-class sleuth and effortlessly emanates the irresistible allure of a noir film leading man. The story is enhanced with ''private eye'' jargon, giving it an authentic period quality; and of course, the story wouldn't be complete without the addition of a seductive and unscrupulous female. Altogether, this is an excellent murder mystery novel, and even though it is set in the twenty-first century, it is an amazing tribute to the sleuths of a bygone era.