I liked the balance of mystery and personal complications of the lead protagonist Chloe, in the first book. That is usually the deciding factor in many of these small-town murder mysteries since the cast of characters is as, if not more important, than the central plot, which is to be unravelled.
Chloe found herself the part-owner of a saloon in Florida, and being a librarian did not really help make her decision. After the chaotic events in the first adventure, she finally decided to move to the house that was bequeathed to her. On the very day she reaches ner now home, she stumbles on a marooned boat and a mewling sound. This opens a can of unexpected worms.
The story’s pacing, the sudden weight of the discoveries and the following investigations were all unexpected. Usually, when some plotlines are completed in the manner they were in this book, I do not hold out hopes for continuing with the series. In this case, I think the characters are filling out their roles/personalities, leaving me curious about their budding relationships.
Chloe finds herself in the middle of an old missing person case becoming front page again. This puts some of her near and dear in the crosshairs of the investigations. She starts to investigate but ends up stepping on a few toes. It is a diligent investigation, and the final reveal actually happens with witnessing who the culprit(s) was and what they were up to instead of just eliminating suspects.
I will pick up the next one in the series just to hear more of the banter amongst the different combinations of people or how Chloe’s librarian skills translate to the real world and the ways she plans to use them in her new life. I would recommend anyone picking this up to start with the first book because this would not hold as much of an impact (even if it makes sense) as it would otherwise.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my reading of this book and the previous work in the series.
Superfluous Reading 