Three's A Crowd (Philip Rivers #3) by Richard Garner

Philip Rivers is a private investigator thinking of moving to the little town of Hertford. One night, while sitting down with his colleague Jo, Rivers witnesses a lover’s quarrel between one man and separate women across the street. Feeling that his talents may soon be needed, Rivers and Jo head over to the bar across the street.
Three days after the argument Rivers witnessed took place, the man, a Rob Corcoran, is found dead outside his home. Rob Corcoran’s parents hire Rivers to investigate Rob’s murder. The three jilted women may seem like the most likely suspects but Rivers quickly discovers that there are a wide variety of characters who could be responsible. Can Rivers and Jo catch a killer and bring justice to Rob or will they end up as the killer’s next victims.
Private investigators bring an aspect to a mystery unlike those investigated by police officers or even the average citizen. I’ve always liked private investigator mysteries. I must admit though that this novel is far from a favorite.
Philip Rivers is an interesting character. Being a private investigator, he keeps his eye out for trouble, as that may lead him to some work, which is how he first comes to know of Rob Corcoran and some of his troubles. He feels very protective of people in his life and those he feels need them. He is very good at reading people and knowing whether or not they are telling the truth.
Rivers has hired a good friend named Jo to work with him. Jo has worked with Rivers in the past and his great investigative instinct. He has some trouble in the small town of Hertford for a bit but finds his way after a while.
Rivers and Jo work with the police during this investigation. They work with Manners and Clark. Manners seems to be a great character and works well with Rivers, as they have worked together in the past as well. Clark on the other hand is a new officer and has some rough edges that need worked on.
What really bothered me about this novel had less to do with plot and had more to do with structure and grammar. As far as structure, I try not to notice a few mistakes throughout a novel, we all make mistakes after all. But when they happen repeatedly throughout a novel it makes it difficult for me to be drawn into a story. One of the most noticeable issues was when the author chose to explain something in the middle of a character’s dialogue but failed to end, or pause, the dialogue. When this happened it appeared as though the character was explaining this, which made little sense.
All in all, I thought this story was an okay read. I gave this novel two and a half stars out of five and would recommend it to readers who enjoy, private investigator novels but don’t mind sharing the investigation with local police.
I received my copy of this novel from BooksEtc. for the sole purpose of providing an honest review and the picture featured above is my own. 

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