Author: Seren Star Goode
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781736538791
Goodestar Publishing
280 Pages
$14.99; $3.99 Amazon
August 2, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐
In the small coastal town of Ocean Wood, where the salty breeze carries butterflies and secrets, Amanda's quest to restart her life takes a wild turn as a diver washes ashore, a speargun bolt piercing his chest.
The once-tranquil marina turns into a hotbed of suspicion, with Amanda's friend Ben as a prime suspect. Amidst celebrities, betrayals, and shakedowns, Amanda and Grok team up to clear Ben's name.
Together, they discover that the marina harbors more than just boats. With a cast of quirky friends and Grok's uncanny investigative skills, Amanda sails into the heart of the mystery determined to expose the true culprit.
Can Amanda and Grok untangle this fishy business before the killer strikes again?
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Amanda Warren left her home to find a new one -- hopefully her twin sister Alexandria will forgive her after years of estrangement. But when she arrives in Ocean Wood, there's no trace of Alexandria, and no one seems to know where she's gone...not even her cat, Grok, whom Amanda discovers she can understand.
She's trying to get her dog washing business off the ground, but she keeps running into trouble. Like this morning, when her friend Ben called her frantically for help. She goes to the marina where he's just moved in with his boat, only to find it's taking on water. She tries to corral his dog Qbert, but it seems the dog has found something more interesting...a body. Now Ben's a suspect in the murder, and he' wondering if he should just move back to his former home. Amanda realizes the only thing she (and Grok) can do is find the real killer...if she can make it without getting killed...
I wanted to read this book because I love mysteries and I love cats. I really didn't know what to expect, especially the fact that Grok can communicate with Amanda, who appears to be a little bit psychic herself in this matter. Grok can do things humans can't, and his help is invaluable.
When the diver, Tobias, is killed, a clue points to Ben as the killer, Which he isn't. But who is? Amanda thinks anyone who was at the marina during the time of death could be a suspect. But with the chief of police hating her, and the lead detective telling her to stay out of it, she needs to be stealthy about it or her own goose might be cooked.
So she enlists the help of friends she's made, and in between her grooming jobs she looks for clues pointing to someone else, which means asking questions. A lot of questions, which could put her in the hot seat (and does).
The one thing I didn't care for in this book is Amanda walks right up to people and asks them about the murder. She might as well state: "I think you killed Tobias. Time to 'fess up." It's a tad uncomfortable to read. There are ways to surreptitiously ask questions without people actually figuring out what you're doing. Also, less chance of being discovered doing it. But she actually has no tact about it, so that was why I deleted one star.
However, in the end we discover the murderer, and Amanda is right in the thick of it, and saved by an unlikely hero, which was surprising and rather fun to read about. All in all, I enjoyed the story and will continue with the series.
I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Seren Star Goode's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Seren-Star-Goode/author/B0CLQ7FSKL?ref
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