Author: Sonia Parin
Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781537026756
CreateSpace Publishing
196 Pages
$10.99; $0.00 Amazon
August 9, 2016
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With her bitter divorce behind her, Eve Lloyd wants to relax and think about her next step. Paying her aunt, Mira Lloyd, a.k.a. Elizabeth Lloyd, renowned historical romance author, a long overdue visit, she plans to spend a month on Rock-Maine Island lounging around and plotting the launch of her new life. Her ex-husband, however, has other ideas. As for her aunt...she's gone missing. And now there's a dead body to contend with and a murder weapon with her fingerprints on it...
A mantle of suspicion hangs over Eve and everyone she encounters has a reason to want her out of the way. Unwilling to leave matters in the hands of swoon worth Detective Jack Bradford...only because it's her civic duty to provide a new perspective, Eve Lloyd engages the assistance of her new friend and fellow suspect Jill Saunders. The both stumble their way through a long list of possible motives and suspects in a race to find the killer before either one turns into the next victim.
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Eve Lloyd is divorced from her embezzling ex-husband, Alex. She left him when she found out that he was stealing money from her restaurant. So she's come to Rock-Maine Island to visit her romance writing Aunt Mira. Only when she arrives, Mira isn't there, and no one knows where she is. She meets a young woman named Jill who has been caring for Mira's home while she's gone, and once they circle each other for awhile, they become friends. That is, until Eve returns home after a dinner out and finds the police at her home...and the dead body of Alex.
Now she's a suspect in his murder, never mind that she has an alibi; and Jill isn't much help, considering Eve could be guilty. But there's strange goings-on at Mira's home, and Eve decides that finding out who's looking for something in the house could lead her and Jill to the actual killer. That is, if she can stay out of their way long enough to stay alive...
This is the first book in the series, and as such, it is decent enough. But I'm on the fence about Jill, whom, considering her own past, sure is willing to throw Eve under the bus if it keeps her off the radar. Not much of a friend, if you ask me.
The story line started off okay, and it had the standard hot cop scenario; which is fine if you can make it work. (It did, in this story). But there were pacing problems, and questions that I didn't think were answered. If Eve closed her restaurant, and is open-ended about her future, why doesn't she just open another restaurant? Why even consider working in a bookstore if you don't know anything about books? Do what you know.
In the end, when the murderer was revealed, it seemed a strange reason to kill someone; the idea that the murderer had in mind was odd enough in itself. At any rate, the book was a pleasant enough diversion for a night, and just to be fair, I will read the next in the series to see if I will stick with it.
More on Sonia Parin's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/sonia-parin/
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