I.O.U. Dead: A Keno Kalder Mystery #1 by Michelle Wan

I.O.U. Dead: A Keno Kalder Mystery #1 by Michelle Wan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Paperback, 144 pages
Published September 8th 2015 by Orca Book Publishers
Source: LibraryThing EarlyReviewers

Orca Rapid Reads


This is the first in a new series about Keno Kalder. Here he and his partner, working as rent collectors, stumble across the serial killer The Hammer's third victim and Keno saw him running out the back door recognizing who it might be! Part of Orca's Rapid Read series with low reading levels aimed at adult readers perfect for ESL, Adult Literacy, reluctant readers or just anyone needing a quick read. This one started off with a bit too much "lingo" for my tastes, both related to the job and the narrator's age of 22. However, once the story got going, I found it an enjoyable little mystery. You know who did it right away so it's not really a mystery but more of a chase. Will they catch him before someone else gets killed? Well-written and, needless to say, action-packed. Because of the action and the shortness of the book one might think character suffers, yet Wan has done a good job here as well. There are three main characters, who will continue on with the series, and she has spent most of her development on the main title character who narrates the story. Many adults in the intended audience will relate with him as illiteracy is a setback he deals with.