Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781652876243
Independently Published
204 Pages
$12.99; $.99 Amazon
December 29, 2019
⭐⭐⭐
When Chelsea Lawson's best friend Tilly asks her to stay at her place to watch her six-year-old daughter and pets, Chelsea doesn't hesitate. Turns out she agreed to manage a micro-farm and "a few pets" included a cow and two goats as well as a little girl too smart for her own good.
When the local community tries to run her out of town, Chelsea realizes something big and rotten hides under the surface of the idyllic small town. The mayor makes it clear she's not wanted and the townspeople give her the cold shoulder, but that only makes Chelsea more determined to uncover their secrets.
No one expected the repercussions those secrets would have, or that murder would be the result. Now life, the animals, and the farm, hangs in the balance. Can Chelsea figure out who did the deed before she -- and her new home -- are the next victims?
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Chelsea Lawson left her job in Charlotte to take care of her friend Tilly's home and daughter while Tilly is in Australia on an assignment. What she thought should be easy turned out not to be. Chelsea discovered that there was a veritable mini-farm she'd be tending, and Emma turned out to be not much what she expected a six-year-old would be. Not to mention the body in the barn, that turns out to be related to someone powerful in town. Now almost the entire town wants to see her gone, and she can't even get her mail delivered. It doesn't help that everyone is calling her Denise and thinks she's someone else. How can Chelsea do what she came to do if she can't get any help? Or if she might be the one everyone thinks murdered the dead man?
This is the first book in the series and I generally found it to be interesting. The idea of a career woman totally out of her element with no help sounded fun. But I did have to wonder about the main character, as I do in most cozies: what are they doing with their money? Are they not saving any of it? Because they all seem to be in dead-end jobs and making barely anything at all; otherwise they wouldn't be struggling financially. Saying that, I did find the way she interacted with the 'pets' amusing; although I really didn't buy that Emma was only six, the way she acted. Ah, well.
Other than that I did like the story line. I enjoyed the mystery a bit (although the clues came late in the book, and the police had figured it out, too). I liked the descriptions of the animals and parts of the town. I didn't like the fact Chelsea didn't stand up to those who insulted her. She was timid and didn't strike me as the type of person who would be left to the care of one's livelihood and child. She couldn't even cook! Tell me, how many women in their thirties can't at least make eggs? Or hamburgers? These are basics anyone can cook. Why would you leave your child in the care of someone who had to order in every night?
But what really turned me off was the fact that the author held me hostage, so to speak. I absolutely hate cliffhangers. Don't authors trust their writing to be enough to bring people to the next book? It irks me that I didn't read reviews so I would know beforehand that I have to read the others in the series to get a resolution to Chelsea's problems. I definitely took off a star because of this. Hopefully the next in the series will give more answers than this book did.
More on CeeCee James's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/ceecee-james/
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