Author: Lorna Barrett
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781984802750
Berkley Publishing
306 Pages
$13.79; $7.99 Amazon
July 21, 2020
⭐⭐⭐
Haven't Got A Clue bookshop owner Tricia Miles's relationship is on the rocks. After a not-so-fun vacation with her on-again-off-again lover, Marshall Cambridge, Tricia's hoping for smooth sailing back in Stoneham. Unfortunately Booktown greets her not with blue skies but with another body.
When Tricia's assistant manager, Pixie, finds homeless vet Susan Morris's body behind Haven't Got A Clue, Pixie's checkered past makes her the prime suspect. Tricia sets out to clear Pixie's name armed with only an anchor insignia earring found at the scene of the crime.
As Tricia digs deeper she discovers Susan was involved in a scandal right before retiring from the Nacy -- but since nobody in the village knows Susan, even Tricia's one lead is in danger of drying up. With family drama brewing in the background and all of Stoneham convinced her manager is a murderer, Tricia knows she has to get to the bottom of the case soon before Pixie's life is sunk.
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Tricia Miles has just returned from a vacation in Ireland with her boyfriend, Marshall Cambridge. But it wasn't wonderful, nor even much fun, when Marshall spent all of his time with all the other passengers on the tour group, since he was their guide. Now she hopes she's back to her old life when her assistant manager, Pixie, discovers a body in the dumpster behind Tricia's bookshop, and things are looking less than good when Pixie is sure she'll be the person taking the fall for the murder. Determined to not see that happen, Tricia does what she does best -- asks questions to find out who had a reason to want the woman dead.
But all is not well in Stoneham, as some of its inhabitants have their own problems, and Tricia also becomes involved in those as well. Then she hears some surprising news about police chief Grant Baker which sends her reeling, and now she's questioning her own life. Before she can fix it, she has to figure out who killed Susan -- as long as she can stay under the radar on this one, she might live to tell the tale...
This is the fourteenth book in the series, and I have not read them all. But from the tone of it, I'm not missing anything. First off, the blurb is misleading: Pixie is not a serious contender for murder, so I don't understand why Tricia is involving herself in this one. Secondly, there's nothing that states a "career woman" can't have a life with a husband -- or even children, for that matter. Career women do this every day and thrive. So that made me roll my eyes. Also, why do these women drink so much? If they drank this much in real life, I'd expect them to have dry skin and health problems. (Why is it when I read a book that takes place on the East Coast, everyone can't go one meal without drinking? Please don't take offense, East Coasters -- it's just what I've observed from reading).
All Anjelica and Tricia do is drink and snipe at each other. I guess I figured that because Tricia wasn't wanted, she'd be the one who thrived and survived, but it's the golden sister, Anjelica, who has that role; everything she touches is golden, so it just makes me wonder why Tricia doesn't resent her in any way? Neither sister has a relationship (although Angelica has had several) but if Tricia can't manage one, then why are they getting in the way of the mysteries? She's almost a 'senior sleuth' and even wears sweater twinsets. I thought those went out in the sixties. (Sorry, feeling snarky after reading this book). I also don't care for the fact that while the sisters have pets, they don't allow them on their furniture. Aren't the pets family members? Would you tell your brother or children they have to stay on the floor? I guess I love my cat more than Tricia loves hers.
I've also noticed that many of the men in this town are not nice, with the exception of the people the sisters' hire. So there's that, and it's not a pleasant thought. In the end, the reason for the murder didn't even make sense, and the ending wasn't as satisfactory as I'd hoped it would be. Sorry.
More on Lorna Barrett's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/lorna-barrett/
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