When suspense novelist Carla Williams is accused of planning an actual murder, her life takes on more plot twists than one of her books. Sure, her life’s in danger, but she’s also caught the attention of handsome detective, Roger Graf, so that kind of evens things out. As Carla nears the end of her novel, it’s up to Roger to catch the killer, or it might be the end of Carla’s life story as well.
This book was a fun light read.
It starts off in hilarious fashion as Carla and her best friend, Maggie are having lunch in a restaurant and start talking about murdering someone. Of course, Carla is referring to a character in the book she is writing but the couple who overhear the conversation don’t know that. This sets off a chain of events that turn Carla’s life upside down.
I really enjoyed Carla as the main protagonist of the novel. She is smart, quirky, with a great sense of humor and a moral compass. Too often in books when a new romance starts there always something about how the main character never does such and such thing (like jumping into bed with the hot guy she just met) and then does that exact thing! Carla isn’t like that. She’s still grieving the death of her husband from two years ago and although she does start a new relationship it’s much more how a real relationship would go. There’s actual time for the bond between them to grow emotionally, not just physically.
The side characters are fun and interesting too. I especially loved the dynamic between Carla and Maggie. They’re been best friends for years and it shows in the way they interact.
I may have watched too many psychological thrillers in my life so my brain was going a mile a minute while reading, coming up with different scenarios based on small details that amounted to nothing. Yes, there is a killer and yes, its a mystery that needs to be solved, but honestly, it felt rather anti-climactic compared to all the stuff going on in my head.
**TRIGGER WARNING***
***SPOILER WARNING***
A dog is murdered in this book. That is a warning for anyone sensitive to animal violence. The scene isn’t graphic and it isn’t particularly described. I’ve read worse accounts of animals violence. However, having recently lost a very loved pet, this was definitely a trigger for me. After that reading session I cried for at least ten minutes straight.
***END TRIGGER/SPOILER WARNING***
Overall, I wanted more from this book. I wanted some little detail to turn into a huge plot twist. I didn’t end up getting that, but that is no way a bad reflection on this book. It was my own over active imagination that lead to my personal disappointment.
My rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a quick murder mystery to read.
As always, thanks for reading!