Review: THE FIFTH WOMAN by G. William Parker

The Fifth Woman: A Rick Morgan Mystery
by G. William Parker
Publisher: Authorhouse
Release Date: May 25, 2011
Source: Review copy from Publisher

Naked and dead, the body of a high roller was found in a Vegas hotel suite. He was insured for twenty million dollars.Ten years later during an ordinary audit, Rick Morgan, Chief Audit Executive for the insurance company learns of the extra ordinary death benefit. At first he's curious, but with facts being cold, vague or missing, his gut tells him there is more. Digging into the past with the help of Vince, a former homicide detective, a bizarre puzzle emerges. Which piece is the mysterious disappearance of the former United States Congressman, the fatal car wreck that left three little girls orphaned or the FBI who wants the investigation dropped? Gathering the pieces, someone is always a step a head. But who? The elegant, conservative Human Resources VP? The playful, sexually starved Branch Manager? The gorgeous woman with a secret past? The stunning but shrewd corporate attorney? Or the mystery woman in San Francisco?"Not everything is as it appears to be"-a motto Rick must remember when putting the pieces together ... all twenty million.

In The Fifth Woman, Rick Morgan is the chief audit executive of an insurance company. It comes to his attention that there were two 20 millilon dollar death benefits paid and when he starts to investigate for possible fraud he finds more questions than answers. The book unfolds amongst a back drop of cover ups and payoffs involving government officials starting 35 years prior. And Rick soon discovers that events and people are not always what they seem. 

I did like the overall story line and the cast of characters. The investigation took place in Seattle, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. I wasn’t too fond of the main protagonist Rick. He seemed like a nice guy but the whole magnetic persona wore on me after awhile. It seemed every woman he came in contact with wanted to jump in bed with him. And he was happy to oblige all of them. I thought that this was a mildly suspenseful novel. I enjoyed the requisite twists and turns that occurred in the story. Some of the dialogue was a little off but the pacing and flow of the story was good. The Fifth Woman is the first novel in a planned series.