Braking for Bodies

The Cycle Path Mysteries, Book #2

By Duffy Brown

ISBN: 9780425268957

Author website: http://duffybrown.com/

 

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt

Synopsis:

Evie Bloomfield puts the pedal to the metal—in the latest Cycle Path mystery from the national bestselling author of Geared for the Grave.

Moving from Los Angeles to small, picturesque Mackinac Island to work in a bike shop might seem crazy, but Evie knows it’s the best decision she’s ever made. That’s not to say she’s gotten rid of all her stress; after all, the upcoming Lilac Festival has everyone in town riding in circles.

But things really go downhill when a ferry full of tourists—including Evie’s friend Fiona’s former boss, the editor of a sleazy rag in LA—arrives on the island. No one knows why Peephole Perry came all the way to Mackinac, but things aren’t looking good for Fiona when Peep is found dead. Now Evie has to gear up and get a grip on the truth if she wants to clear her friend’s name..

Review:

I enjoy visiting Mackinac Island and the wonderful characters that inhabit Duffy Brown’s “The Cycle Path Mystery” series. Braking for Bodies is the second in the series and I enjoyed it even more than the first. Evie Bloomfield is a fun and entertaining protagonist. When her friend Fiona is faced with the appearance of her over the top former boss’ arrival on the island, things go from bad to worse. Evie is so busy with the upcoming Lilac Festival, a wedding and now the death of Fiona’s sleazy old boss Peephole Perry. Why he even came to their little piece of paradise Mackinac Island no one knows, but it can only mean trouble. His death could mean a lot of lost revenue for the Island and this is the worst time for that. The citizens only have so much time to make money and this is it. Luckily for everyone, one of the hotel guests thinks the dead body of Peephole is the beginning of a murder mystery weekend. Evie and Police Chief Sutter decide to go with the flow and hope for the best. Evie is swamped with so much, including losing the bride’s wedding gown, but she has to help keep Fiona out of jail when she becomes the prime suspect in the horrible man’s murder.

The fun and antics have just begun with the death of ole Peephole. Two women claim to be his true love, he could have been hiding from death threats, he may have wanted to blackmail Fiona and mixed in is the groups of hotel guests trying to win a non-existent prize for figuring out the fake murder mystery weekend. Author Duffy Brown fills this fabulous cozy with laughter, intrigue, humor, fabulous characters and even more laughter. This is truly a wonderful read that kept me amused throughout and all the way till the end. Evie and her bike riding is one of the highlights, take my word for it. Her shop rents one of a kind bikes for visitors to the island. She paints them in themes and they are always a big hit. Now her mother has moved to the island to open her law office across the street. Now if only Evie can help get the wedding back on track. Rudy and Irma had their wedding planned out, but nothing is going right. Everything is falling apart and the murder is still unsolved and there are crazy guests running around finding “clues”. How will Evie and Chief Sutter get to the bottom of things?

This is truly a wonderfully entertaining mystery. Colorful and eclectic characters abound. The townsfolk are not only amusing but they care for each other. Evie finally is starting to feel at home in her new town. She is determined to help the business owners not lose money with the fear of another murder on their island. The humor and mayhem filling this book work to bring the reader a fabulous fun filled whodunit. I could not figure out who the real killer was until Evie and Chief Sutter did. The pace and storyline are perfect. The writing is descriptive and superb. The characters are well developed and always interesting. Author Duffy Brown writes with such panache and humor.

Braking for Bodies is a stellar second installment in one of the best cozy series out these days. Always humorous and filled with intelligent wit, this is a fabulous mystery. The characters are wonderful and their interaction is great. Even with the addition of the crazy guests and the loves of Peephole Pete, the characters’ banter is always amusing. If you have not read the first in this series, you will still be able to follow and enjoy this one. Do yourself a favor though and read the first. Duffy Brown has a writing style that grabs hold and never let’s go. A wonderfully well written whodunit that is full of laughter and intrigue. If only I would have had some Mackinac Fudge, it would have been a perfect night’s read. Even without it though, the visit to the island was well worth it and one I cannot wait to do again very soon.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review