Author: Kate Young
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781639101085
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$26.99; $13.99 Amazon
October 11, 2022
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Lyla Moody and her book club, the Jane Does, are hosting a Halloween party at Magnolia Manor, tailored after Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced, but when the lights come on after the staged murder, a real victim lies dead with a gunshot wound in her chest. The victim was an estranged relative of Elaine Morgan, operator of the B&B, who'd earlier been seen arguing with her about the fate of the property. Suspicion immediately falls on Elaine, and she's arrested.
The Jane Does believe Elaine is innocent, and when they get the chance to team up with police officer Rosa Landry -- a member of the club -- they jump on it. But then, the club discovers that two or more murders have been brazenly predicted online and in the Sweet Mountain Gazette -- and that one of the intended victims is Rosa.
Lyla thinks she knows who the killer is, but the only way to find out is by laying a trap using Rosa as bait. But, like an Agatha Christie mystery, the truth is never what it seems. Lyla and her trusty book club will have to sleuth out the killer before Rosa meets her final chapter.
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Lyla Moody is a PI in training at her uncle's business, Moody Investigations. She is also a member of the Jane Does Book Club, who read a different book each week and then meet to discuss it. But this evening the club is hosting a Halloween party based on Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, and it's themed right down to costumes from the 1950s. When the lights go out, Lyla hears four shots, not three, and when they come on again, she spies Patricia Richardson dying from a gunshot wound. She'd seen Patricia threaten her cousin Elaine Morgan earlier, with a gun in her hand. But now -- this death is definitely a real murder, and the person who is running the investigation is Rosa Landry, because her boss is on his honeymoon.
But all is not what it seems, not even in Lyla's personal life. And she has to decide how to solve the murder and keep Rosa out of harm's way, especially when it's apparent she's targeted as a future victim. Using Rosa as bait, she only hopes she'll be able to save her life -- and maybe her own, too...
This is the third book in the series, and unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me at all. I didn't really care for Lyla this time out; she seemed harder and not as bright as in the last two books. I also didn't understand where the marriage of Courtney and Quinn came in when they weren't even dating in the last book. How much time did we lose between the two, and why wasn't this explained?
There were just too many characters this time around, and I have a hard time believing that the police will involve a civilian in their 'stings.' Nothing like getting sued by the family if something goes wrong. Although the involvement of Rosa was a nice touch, she too seemed a bit timid for a police officer, and never really managed to take charge of her investigation.
Then there is Lyla's personal life which made me say 'what???' I have known many law enforcement officials who are married to each other and have good lives in their careers and raising children. You don't have to choose between the two. Maybe she should just stop dating cops if all the cops are so close-minded as to relationships (Lyla too). Also, most PIs run under the wire; it's where they can do their best work. They don't put themselves out there so everyone can say: "Hey! There goes George, he's the private investigator on this case!" Lyla seems to want everyone to know she's a PI. Why? Is it a badge of honor? (FYI, PIs can't carry or wear badges. It's against the law -- not that she's done this yet. Just sayin')
But then the plot got confusing. There were too many threads and it took too long to put them together, and even if you did, there was still something else going on. By the time I got to the end I really didn't care anymore. I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, but this one was definitely missing something, and when it ended, I was left feeling there should have been more.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Kate Young's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/y/kate-young/
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