Author: Patrick Kelly
Genre: Mystery
Trade Paperback. Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781734239225
Chaparral Press LLC
205 Pages
$11.99; $3.99 Amazon
June 17, 2021
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GUESS WHO CRIED AT LOU THORPE'S FUNERAL...
No one. His wife, grown children, and best friends all attended the service, but no one shed a single tear. Poor Lou. He was out for his morning walk when a crazed driver knocked him out of life. Crazed? With no car, no driver, and no witnesses, it's difficult to say. Was it an accident or intentional?
Until that morning, Bill O'Shea was living the dream. After a career of fighting crime in the big city, Bill bought a condo in the beautiful mountain resort of Wintergreen, Virginia. When he met his attractive new neighbor, Bill knew his retirement was off to a great start. But then the short-staffed police department asked Bill to help them investigate Thorpe's death.
Soon, Bill fell into an old routine. Interviewing suspect. Checking alibis. Everyone had a secret to hid, but Bill lacked evidence to tie any of the suspects to the crime. He was missing something -- like he had an itch he couldn't reach to scratch.
Will Bill and his new friends solve the case, or will the murder of Lou Thorpe remain a mystery forever?
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When retired police detective Bill O'Shea moves to Wintergreen, Virginia, he just wants to sit back and enjoy his life. However, when a man is killed in a hit-and-run accident on the mountain trail, the short-staffed police department asks for his help. Reluctantly, he accepts, but on his terms. Everyone seems to think it was an accident, but Bill's suspicious. And when it turns out to be an actual murder, he's once again in the mode of police detective trying to find a killer. But it seems all the suspects are friends of Bill's and no one can name an enemy, leaving his work cut out for him. But Lou must have made someone mad. Angry enough to want him dead...
There's also his new neighbor, Cindy, who's seemed to take an interest in him, although he doesn't know why. But that's suddenly fraught with problems, too, and Bill has to figure out what the problem is. If he wants his life back -- and his relationship to move along -- he needs to figure out who's hiding a big secret. Although everyone he suspects is hiding something. Which one of them had a secret big enough to kill for?...
I have to first say that this book was written beautifully. The descriptions of Wintergreen and its surrounding areas were definitely a big plus, bringing the reader into the environs of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. So much so that I plan to visit there sometime in the future.
The mystery was plotted well, with a profusion of suspects. Each of them had their own secrets, and Bill needed to ferret them out. Speaking of active retirees...anyway, it was definitely an intriguing read, and I liked it so well that I read it in one sitting. The characters had depth, and I found myself embroiled in Bill's life easily. It seemed he was barely swimming in the newness of it when he was interrupted with the murder, and still trying to figure things out as being retired. But then, he wasn't; a murder reared its ugly head and he was back in the game.
While the officers had their own ideas of who the killer might be, Bill, with his years of experience, knew that nothing was ever as it seemed and he kept his eye on the prize. Which, of course, turned out to be a major award. But when the ending comes, and the killer is revealed, it was totally unexpected, and I still don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I did like the epilogue, though, and will read the next in the series, waiting to go once again to Wintergreen for another visit. Highly recommended.
More on Patrick Kelly's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Patrick-Kelly/e/B00I1KAQN2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
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