The Whisper Legacy

Pappa Legacy, #1

by

Tj O’Connor

Political intrigue, plot twists galore, and a PI who could certainly use a break.

The Whisper Legacy is the first book in author Tj O’Connor’s new political thriller Pappa Legacy series and features the aging but still canny and cunning private investigator and security consultant Marlowe S. Curran. With its non-stop action and intricate plot full of surprising twists and turns, I was compelled to keep reading page after page without stopping to find out what would happen next! No regrets! 

While resolving a computer hacking case using less than legal methods for his most lucrative client, Marlowe Curran’s landlady’s philandering husband and his current paramour are murdered during a tryst on the estate. Without a less criminal alibi to offer, Lowe becomes a suspect in their murders and must undertake clearing his own name. However, someone seems to be working against him every step of the way. 

Marlowe Curran, Lowe to his friends, is a complex character with a tough backstory, a humorous inner voice, and a soft spot for dogs. A smart, deadly operator, Lowe is best by a seemingly never-ending run of bad luck as he tries to fulfill his responsibilities to his confidential and well-heeled clients, including his landlady, Janey-Lynn Cantrell, whose cheating husband and his latest clandestine amour have just been found murdered in their love nest. 

Multiple storylines unfold through Lowe’s viewpoint and that of a political mover and shaker as the President of the United States narrows down his search for a replacement VP. While they appear unrelated, as the story fights its way to its exciting conclusion, the disparate storylines cleverly converge into one riveting whole. 

I recommend THE WHISPER LEGACY to readers of political thrillers and mysteries featuring private eyes. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold

Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mystery, #1

by

Denise Jaden

Fun, fish-out-of-water murder mystery.

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold is the first book in author Denise Jaden’s cozy Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries. It features a new crewmate and junior photographer, Olivia Ocean, as she embarks on her first contract cruise aboard the Moonlight Majesty. An engaging protagonist, a toxic job environment, and an intriguing plot combine to make this a great debut for this new series. 

Olivia has been caring for her grandparents since she was young, from before her grandfather passed to the recent death of her beloved grandmother. Since her grandmother had spoken so fondly of her time working on cruise ships when she was young, when Olivia spies a job opening for a photographer on the Moonlight Majesty, she jumps at the opportunity to apply. Her first day on the ship is chaotic; it’s embarkation day for a 7-day cruise, and everyone is so busy with their tasks to get underway that no instruction or onboarding is given to Olivia, except for the safety briefing. She’s literally handed a camera and sent to find her own way to take pictures of passengers as they board without any guidance. She does her best but is a complete fish out of water. A late-night errand to a cargo hold for photo paper, though, nets her a tiny stowaway kitten, which leads to her discovery of a dead man. As the one to find the murder victim, the hunky head of security, Miles Blackwell, initially treats Olivia with suspicion, so she feels it’s in her best interests to stay as close as possible to the ensuing investigation and the handsome investigator. 

While cruise ship jobs sound glamorous, the reality is anything but, and Olivia finds herself working impossibly long hours without a break with some fairly toxic coworkers. Thankfully, her new roommate, Becky, turns out to be welcoming and friendly and helps Olivia to find her sea legs. In the days that follow, Olivia and Miles work together, comparing notes, sharing information about the investigation, and coming to rely on one another. I enjoyed their slow-burn attraction to one another, but because I’m suspicious of everyone in the story except Olivia, I continually hoped that Miles was on the up and up. 

The plot moves quickly, with the murder occurring on the first evening of the cruise. As Olivia works to settle into her job, she tries to impress her obnoxious supervisor with her skills and willingness to do whatever tasks he needs doing without complaint while secretly collecting clues from the dead man’s coworkers. I enjoyed the presence of the little kitten, Pickle, and his extraordinary ability to point our sleuths in the right direction when needed. The scenes set throughout the different areas of the ship were interesting and fun, and I could relate to Olivia’s confusion over the layout; these ships are huge. While I had an inkling of the who-dun-it, it wasn’t until the resolution that I found out the surprising why. I look forward to more adventures for Olivia and, hopefully, Miles aboard the Moonlight Majesty.

 I recommend MURDER IN THE HIDDEN CARGO HOLD to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy cruise life.

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Murder at Meadows Lake Clubhouse

Soup the Supernatural Kitten Mysteries, #1

by

Debbie De Louise

A fun start to this new cozy mystery series with an unusual premise and engaging main characters.

Murder at Meadows Lake Clubhouse is the first book in the new paranormal cozy Soup the Supernatural Kitten Mysteries by veteran (and one of my all-time favorites) author Debbie De Louise. The plot features a recent widow who relocates to an over-55 community in South Carolina and the unusually gifted kitten she discovers in her brand-new home. Convinced to sell the home she shared for more than 30 years with her husband Harvey, Rose Fairchild decides to make a fresh start in a new setting and moves to Meadows Lake, South Carolina. But on her first full day in her new home, she is greeted by the news that there has been a murder in the community’s clubhouse: the victim being the head cook at the restaurant there. She is equally surprised when her new acquaintance, the local sheriff, asks her to accompany him on his rounds to question potential suspects. However, neither of those surprises tops the moment when she discovers her new kitten, Soup, has supernatural abilities and is able to talk! 

Rose Fairchild is a sweet woman in her sixties, and while still deeply grieving her recently departed spouse, she is otherwise quite unflappable in the face of numerous shocking revelations. She is a kind and thoughtful person and quickly attracts the attention of two of Meadows Lake’s most eligible bachelors, real estate agent Grant Davis and Sheriff Blake Conor. Both are gentlemanly but have pleasant plans to spend time getting to know Rose. It’s going to be a tough choice for her in the future. 

I liked the paranormal aspects of the story, as well as Soup’s fun personality, focus on meals, her ability to talk to Rose as well as animals, and her telepathic ability. Not only do they find comfort with one another, but they also make a pretty good team when it comes to getting answers. 

The plot hits the ground running, with the murder occurring early in the story. Because the victim was universally disliked, there are several good suspects to cross off the investigative list. I enjoyed the story but thought the premise of the sheriff inviting Rose and Grant into the crime scene to view the body of the victim and for her to join the investigation shockingly implausible. But with one of the main characters being a resurrected, talking cat, how can one even start to draw a line for what’s plausible or not? Readers should be prepared to suspend their belief in reality, trust the process, and have fun. 

I recommend MURDER AT MEADOWS LAKE CLUBHOUSE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy more mature main characters, amateur sleuths, and cat-centered stories.

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Beds, Breakfasts, and Beta Blockers

Three Dog Mysteries, #1

by

Jann Franklin

New, fun and quirky, dog-centric cozy mystery had me laughing almost the entire book!

Beds, Breakfasts, and Beta Blockers is the first book in author Jann Franklin’s new series, the Three Dog Mysteries, and it is a delightful visit to small-town Louisiana, where everyone knows your name and your business. After Ro Bergeron’s grandmother passes away, she decides to turn her family farm in tiny Belle Bayou, Louisiana, into a bed and breakfast targeting guests who travel with their dogs. However, the engaging heroine with her quirky family, while absolutely adorable, is woefully underprepared to embark on her new venture. 

Ro is such an innocent and optimistic young woman, and she is completely convinced that everything will be great as she opens her home for business, even though she doesn’t know how to turn on her new oven, let alone cook breakfast. She’s good-hearted, and thankfully, so is her close-knit family, with whom she depends to help smooth out her first attempt at successful innkeeping. Otherwise, she has a good head on her shoulders, which comes in handy when her first guests, a couple of true crime fans, prove to be more interested in the investigation into the recent murder of her former high school math teacher than anything else. 

Ro’s twin maiden aunts, Min and Win, are quirky whirlwinds throughout the story, and her cousin Marshall, surrounded by the women in his life, is an often put-upon but loving family man. To set the stage for her dog-friendly B&B, Ro adopts the three dogs of a local man, sadly relocating to a New Orleans senior facility at the behest of his son. Having never owned a pet in her life, Ro experiences a quick “Come to Jesus” when two of the dogs prove to be rambunctious, untrained labs, and the third is an aging senior dog. 

The plot is well-paced, with the author introducing readers to Ro, her family, friends, and other supporting characters and developing a pretty robust backstory for all. While the death of the victim occurs early in the story, Ro doesn’t become directly involved until her true-crime, social media-obsessed guests arrive and strong-arm her into a meet & greet with the investigator on the case, Ro’s secret high school crush. The clueless guests, the antics of the aunties, and Ro’s miscalculations and delightfully funny inner voice had me laughing throughout the entire book. 

I recommend BEDS, BREAKFASTS, AND BETA BLOCKERS to cozy mystery readers.

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Under the Gulf Coast Sun

by

Skip Rhudy

A quick trip back in time to the beginning of a new young love.

Under the Gulf Coast Sun is a lovely historical romance by author Skip Rhudy and features the young adult surfing culture of mid-1970s Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf coast and the beginning of one made-for-each-other couple’s relationship. Connor O’Reilly and Kassie Hernandez had met the previous summer when she and her family were vacationing in his hometown of Port Aransas. Hitting it off, they’d kept in touch when she and her family had returned home to Midland through heartfelt letters, sharing their hopes and dreams as they completed their senior year in high school. When summer returned, so did Kassie, an event that the shy, inexperienced surfer boy Connor had dreamed about all year. Now faced with the reality, he’s filled with self-doubt that this beautiful girl whom every guy in town wants would want him, believing instead that she is out of his league. 

What a good story! Connor is a genuinely nice guy and falls hard for Kassie. But with his recent history, the departure of his mother with a lover to pursue her own dreams, which didn’t include her only son, he’s got trust issues. Watching other guys hanging around and trying to catch Kassie’s eye is particularly difficult for him. 

Kassie, whip-smart and with a full-ride scholarship to UC San Diego in hand, is certain Connor is different from other guys, interested in her for their common interests and not just for her hot physical attributes. However, his differences could be a two-edged sword, and she worries that her interest in him could divert her from her plans for the future. Thankfully, they eventually talk about their concerns, but not before there is a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING that causes a course correction on their journey to a HEA. 

Told from multiple points of view, readers are privy to the inside skinny on the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and true motives. There’s a bit of repetitive “is she really into me” thinking on Connor’s part, but that seems to be a result of the emotional fallout from his mother’s actions. Kassie both abhorred and enjoyed the attention her physical appearance attracted, but she was only 18 years old when navigating through this. 

The plot includes a lot of interesting descriptions and discussions of surfing, surfing legends of the era, and Connor and Kevin’s work aboard the crew boat. Connor’s time in the Gulf is suspenseful, and I thought the author did a great job of not telegraphing how this scenario was actually going to work out. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The story has a lot of humorous moments as well, many centered around Kevin Stamford, but the party at the very beginning of the book had me laughing out loud. 

Set as it is in the mid-1970s, these characters would have been my contemporaries, so I could relate to a number of things mentioned. Women’s roles were still in transition, and Kassie’s father’s warnings about what she could expect as a woman in a university science program were accurate. Even the assumption that women would naturally consider higher education at that time would have been false. But other aspects of the “historical” (really?) setting were fun and nostalgic, such as the music, the lower drinking age, and no cell phones, to name a few. 

With its engaging characters, authentic descriptions, realistic dialogue, and suspenseful plot, I recommend UNDER THE GULF COAST SUN to readers of historical fiction and romance.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.