Author: DeAnna Drake
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)
ISBN #: 9781964418537
Tule Publishing
254 Pages
$11.99; $4.99 Amazon
July 8, 2024
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Rebecca Cuthbert, no stranger to false accusations, rushes to defend her baker best friend when she's accused of murdering Citrus Grove's Elvis-loving mayor with a deadly petit four.
But Rebecca recognizes the real clue: this death is the work of the Emerald Scarab, one of the cursed artifacts she vowed to track down after it was stolen from her grandfather's quirky antique shop.
Now she must navigate a peculiar maze of clues and enchantments, aided by her grandfather's wise counsel and the scattered recollections of an immortal talking cat, Aneksi, who once encountered the scandalous scarab in Cleopatra's court. With each revelation, her search becomes a frantic race to find the killer and the amulet before they can hurt anyone else.
But her meddling puts her in the killer's path, and Rebecca must rely on her fledgling investigative skills to save her friend from jail and herself from becoming the sleepy Southern California town's latest murder victim.
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After Rebecca Cuthbert's parents died in a car accident, and her fiance left her practically at the altar, she thought she had lost everything in her Montana home. But when she received word that she had a grandfather in California who wanted her to live with him, she moved to small-town Citrus Grove to help him run his antique store.
What she found out later what that he had a treasure trove of Egyptian artifacts, collected by his own grandfather. And she also discovered one of them, an immortal kitten named Aneksi, who's also been much help in finding those stolen by an ex-employee.
When Rebecca attends an event given by the mayor, he is soon struck down -- apparently by eating one of Luna's, her baker friend, petit fours. Now Luna is the top suspect, and has asked for Rebecca's help in finding out who killed the mayor. When Aneksi smells one of the artifacts close to Luna, both Rebecca and her grandfather are afraid that this was the cause of the death. But who would believe them? Now the three are on the hunt for the ancient artifact -- an emerald and diamond Scarab -- but who in this town has it? And are they a true killer? Or did the scarab drive them to do something horrific?...
This is the second book in the series, and I have to admit that I read numbers one and 3 first, but it doesn't really matter. This can be read as a stand-alone, although there are references to the first book, so you really should read the enjoyable first one ahead of this. Saying that, I also have to say that this was just as intriguing as the aforementioned two above.
Rebecca is settling into her new life and has an almost-maybe-or-not relationship with Detective Nick Devon, but their first date ended abruptly, so she's not sure. Even though he seems glad to see her, he's not happy she's around another investigation (of course, why would he be?). But Rebecca is determined to help Luna, and to do that, she must find the missing scarab. That means finding who had a motive to killer Mayor Bill. Could it be his wife? His daughter? One of his many flings? Or his business rival?
The only way to know is by asking questions. Trying to step on as few toes as possible, she still needs to get answers. Even if there are those who aren't happy to see her, she knows this is imperative. The scarab must be found. And she's sure the killer has it.
What follows is a most interesting story featuring an immortal cat that just purrs her way into your heart, and a protagonist determined to get to the truth, even if it brings personal danger. I hesitate to say more as to not ruin the book for others.
In the end, I was a bit surprised at the murderer, as it should be, and the red herrings had me running in another direction. The climax was all it should be, and the ending gives you something to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended.
I was given a copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.
More on DeAnna Drake's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/deanna-drake/
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