Hands On Homicide

Massage and Murder Mystery, #1

by

Sarah Hualde

Nice debut for this cozy Christian mystery series with a unique paranormal twist!

Hands On Homicide is the first book in author Sarah Hualde’s new Massage and Murder Mystery series, cozy Christian mysteries with a unique paranormal twist. With its engaging main characters, intriguing murder mystery, and subtly faith-forward approach, the story was compelling and hard to set down. 

Corky Hobbs is a massage therapist, and readers are immediately aware that she has a special gift: knowing exactly how to help her clients when they come in for a massage. She doesn’t understand how she knows, but her intuition is spot-on regarding where tension and stress have settled in their muscles. When Corky interrupts a murder while working late one evening at the spa, she’s almost killed, and the near-death experience somehow enhances her healing skills to include seeing someone’s inner thoughts and memories when she touches their skin. Because she can’t control it, the new ability feels intrusive, even making her nauseous when the person’s thoughts come flooding in: a curse rather than a gift. However, when the investigation falls to the inept local deputy, Corky and her best friends know that it is up to them to find the killer before the killer tries to finish off Corky for good, and she’s going to have to use her new-found talent. 

She’s supported by her two best friends, sister and brother, Stella and Steve Michaels. Stella, who works at the same spa, finds Corky the night of the attack just in time and takes charge of the investigation, while Steve, as a student chef, provides sustenance and tries to curb his sister’s more reckless ideas. There are also some deeper feelings bubbling just below the surface between him and Corky. 

The plot sticks pretty close to only the characters who were present at the spa immediately prior to the murder, so there’s not a lot of exposition creating the small town of Deadhorse Canyon or introducing background characters. There’s a great conflict side story involving the spa’s beautiful but toxic receptionist for whom Corky’s long-time boyfriend dumped her. Melanie is a real piece of work, and Brett, the ex, is weak and shallow. Honestly, they’re perfect for each other. The murder occurs early in the book, so the rest of the story is Corky testing her new ability and narrowing down a controlled number of suspects. There are hints in plain sight as to who the killer is, so sharp-eyed armchair detectives have a good chance of figuring it all out. 

I recommend HANDS ON HOMICIDE to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a faith-forward story and a TOUCH of paranormal elements in their books. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.