A Dead Red Cadillac (The Dead Red Mystery Series, Book 1)

A deeply buried and deadly secret resurface with a drowned Cadillac

When Lalla Bains’ trophy red Caddy is discovered tail-fins up in a local lake, police ask why a widowed piano teacher, who couldn’t possibly see beyond the hood ornament, is found strapped in the driver’s seat.
As Lalla will soon discover, there’s a shocking link between the drowned woman, her beloved father and an escaped felon--all of which will tear apart her comfortable life and bring her family into the cross-hairs of a killer.



"Wise-cracking detectives--from the rank amateurs who somehow stumble into the practice of investigating, to the licensed professionals with their fancy gizmos and snazzy Yellow Pages listings--are a dime a dozen in mystery novels... but a wise-cracking, ex-fashion-model, crop-dusting sleuth? That puts a quirky new spin on the genre, in R.P. Dahlke’s peppy debut, A Dead Red Cadillac. A Dead Red Cadillac may be Dahlke’s first published work, but it doesn’t read that way; the author is assured in her storytelling, crafting a witty, breezy, and thoroughly-entertaining lark peppered with interesting characters in a unique setting... and even tossing in some (much-appreciated) surprising twists along the way."
The Literate Kitty Blog spot 1/21/12

“Ex model and motorhead, Lalla Bains, pilots us through a murder investigation with more twists and turns than the coast highway and with an ending more satisfying than the purr of a perfectly tuned ’58 Cadillac.” Lesley Diehl, author of A Deadly Draught, Mainly Murder Press; Dumpster Dying, Oak Tree Press
“Fresh and fun! With its engaging, down-on-her-luck sleuth, homicidal Caddy and a decades-old mystery, R.P. Dahlke’s promising debut, A DEAD RED CADILLAC, will keep you turning those pages and guessing wrong right up to its surprising conclusion.” Kris Neri, Lefty Award-nominated author of REVENGE FOR OLD TIMES’ SAKE
“Fast paced and fun with an outwardly tough but inwardly vulnerable lady-pilot, drug smuggling and plenty of eccentric characters.” Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness mysteries. Bless the Bride, March 2011