Putt To Death—a review

By Roberta Isleib

I’ll get right to the point: I thought this book was a great read.

Even better: my non-golfing wife couldn’t put it down.

Putt to Death is the third in a series of novels about LPGA tour pro Cassie Burdette. Burdette is a bit like Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote” – death follows her wherever she goes.

However, that’s where the comparisons end. Burdette is a complex character whose emotional baggage has driven her from the LPGA tour. She has a love-hate relationship with her father, an uncommitted PGA tour boyfriend, and is trying to connect with a new shrink.

Putt finds Burdette (temporarily?) out of the LPGA tour, working as the “Touring Pro” at a Connecticut Country Club. It seems like an ideal place to work on her game to return to the tour.

But the discovery of the body of a club member during a lady’s outing leads Burdette to mystery and danger.

I used to make my living as a ghost writer, and the complement I most liked to receive is that my writing was “clean.” I’ll pass this complement on to Ms. Isleib. Putt to Death is cleanly written, with no distracting stylistic flourishes. The story moves quickly from set up to resolution; you will be amazed at how quickly the time flies.

I’m going to look for more in the series.