Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781940968940
Authenticity Playground, LLC
386 Pages
$14.99; $5.99 Amazon
May 3, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All Mia Murphy wants is an ordinary, law-abiding life.
Accidentally marrying a drug kingpin? Easily fixed with an anonymous tip to the FBI...which resulted in a not-so-voluntary, surprisingly stressful stint as an undercover spy against him.
But with her ex finally in prison and assassins in her rearview mirror, Mia is off to Diamond Lake in Bass Derby, Maine with King Tut, her rescue (aka purloined) cat, to start over.
Upon arrival, Mia quickly finds a couple of soulmates in a blue-haired "I'll show you what old is" café owner and a baton-twirling mail carrier. Life is headed in the right direction...until the trio stumbles across a dead body during a slightly illegal but well-intentioned home invasion.
When one of her new besties is arrested for the murder, Mia is the only one with the skills to ferret out the real killer...but she can't afford to resurrect her morally flexible past. Can Mia keep her life on the straight and narrow with so much at stake? Or will a homicidal, jet-skiing moose, a dead Mr. January firefighter, and an overzealous mayor take them all down?
Mia has to step up, or she'll lose her chance for the life she's always wanted and the friends she's never had. Even worse, she might wind up dead.
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Mia Murphy is finally out of hiding. Growing up with a con artist mother, she learned to pickpocket (among other things) at an early age. And when she married, she had no idea her husband was a kingpin drug dealer. But in giving a tip to the FBI, it only made things worse -- she had to work with them for nearly two years to take down the man -- and leave her open to hitmen. But when things are finally over, Mia decides to move to Bass Derby, Maine, and open a marina.
Unfortunately, the pictures are nothing like what she just bought: a run-down dilapidated wreck that definitely needs some TLC to open. Did I mention that she brought along King Tut, a massive Maine Coon that she rescued (purloined) from its previous owner?
What she also finds is that she only has one tenant, a woman named Hattie who runs a café, is somewhere south of sixty and drives like a maniac. That, and Lucy Grande, a mail carrier who's new to Mia's route and wants to be her friend, not to mention an employee that's named Cargo that Mia isn't even sure exists. Mia doesn't know what to make of all this, but she's willing to try and make everything work.
Unfortunately, there was a slight accident coming into town that didn't put her in the best light. And people are starting to figure out that she's the 'drug lord's wife' even if she did change her hair color. The sheriff (younger than her) doesn't like her, and the deputy (definitely hot) is curious about her, but suddenly things go south. When she's kind of pushed into helping her new friends get Lucy's truck back from her ex, they find the truck...and his dead body. Now Lucy is the main suspect, and Mia vows to keep her out of prison. After all, she put her ex Stanley in prison, so this will just be in reverse. If she can avoid jet skiing moose who are trying to kill her...
This is the first in a new series and I have to be honest and say that I have never read any of Ms. Rowe's books before. But given the chance to read this I found it extremely intriguing. Believe it or not, there were some things said that brought tears to my eyes (Trust me, this is rare for me), a lot of laughter, and images of some people (the old ladies, e.g., but you have to read the book) that might have me wanting to wash my eyeballs.
This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. It also brought sadness for Mia, who just wants a new life -- but maybe not the current one. The descriptions are some of the best I've ever been shown, and the people who live in Bass Derby are beyond quirky; some of them are downright insane. But Mia is determined to keep the new life she's made for herself, even if it means skirting the law (sort of) to help her new friend.
What ensues is actually two days of pure havoc in Mia's new life. Two days of eluding police, rabid killers, and refusing to sleep in her new apartment because of the smell (you'll get there). Then there's King Tut, who surprises me at every turn and makes me want to make him my own (I love cats). He's just strange and special...really strange.
In the end, when the killer is found, it really is an unexpected surprise, but it brings everything together full circle in the most delightful way possible. I loved this book so much that I want to read the next in the series right now. Kudos to the author. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
:
More on Stephanie Rowe's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/stephanie-rowe/
No comments:
Post a Comment