Author: Debra H. Goldstein
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496732231
Kensington Publishing
336 Pages
$8.99; $6.99 Amazon
June 28, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
But when someone turns up dead with Jane kneeling by the body with blood on her hands, she goes from being Sarah's chief rival to the police's chief suspect. Neither Sarah nor her twin, Chef Emily Johnson, can stand Jane -- still, they don't think she's a murderer. The producers vow the show must go on, but to protect their mother and the other contestants, Sarah vows to find the true killer before someone else gets eliminated...
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Sarah Blair is happy with her life after divorce. She lives in the carriage house behind the restaurant she owns along with her sister Emily, and Emily's beau, Marcus. She works for an attorney, and cares for her two pets, and all is well...until her mother informs her that a reality show is going to be filmed in her hometown of Wheaton, Alabama, and that she, Maybelle, will be one of the contestants. If that's not shocking enough for Sarah, she finds out that she needs to be her mother's chaperone and stay with her every night of the competition. But to top it off, Maybelle and the other brides will be staying across the street at Jane's Place -- the same Jane who stole her husband, kidnapped her cat, RahRah (now returned, of course) and opened a restaurant/B&B specifically to compete with Southwind, the one that Emily now runs.
Not happy about the situation, she can see no way out of it so goes along with it. But one night after returning from dinner at Southwind, she hears a scream and comes across Jane standing over a dead body with blood on her hands. Now Jane is the main suspect in a murder, and even though Sarah (and myself) can't stand the woman (mine because I hate the 'evil nemesis' in books), she knows that she can't let her go down for a murder she's sure she didn't do and intends to find the guilty party herself.
But it isn't going to be easy, because any one of the cast or crew could be the killer that Sarah is looking for. When another death occurs, things become not only more heated for Jane, but for everyone working on the show. No one wants to continue, but with the contracts signed, they have no choice. If Sarah can't put the clues together fast, someone is going to get away with murder...
This is the sixth book in the series, and I have read them all. I have come to enjoy watching Sarah as she tries to figure out who might be a murderer, and this time out, there are so many red herrings it could fill a water pond. Even Maybelle, who usually loves to be the center of attention, is beginning to waver, and worry about Sarah. Sarah has even enlisted the help of Harlan, the attorney she works for, and is feeding him information as she garners it. But there is so much going on -- with the competitions that the show has set, the added dinners at Southwind, and even Sarah's personal life, that she's overwhelmed with it all.
But as it comes to a head and Sarah overhears a crucial conversation, things start to come together. But when they do, she realizes that she might be in over her head and looks for a way out...luckily, it all works out just as it's supposed to, with a surprise ending that's pleasing and satisfactory both; and worth reading the book. I enjoyed this quite a bit and look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Debra H. Goldstein's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/debra-h-goldstein/
No comments:
Post a Comment