Gone with the Twins
League of Literary Ladies, Book #5
By Kylie Logan
ISBN: 9780425282960
Author Website: kylielogan.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
The national bestselling author of And Then There Were Nuns takes readers back to South Bass Island on Lake Erie, where a pair of ambitious twins are causing double trouble for the League of Literary Ladies.
The League of Literary Ladies is currently enjoying Margaret Mitchell’s saga of the South, Gone with the Wind. But there’s one situation on South Bass Island that they wish would simply blow over.
Kidnapped as teenagers, the children of a famous movie star are now media darlings after a miraculous escape. What’s next for the celebrity twins? They’re opening an over-the-top B and B called Tara on South Bass Island, and frankly, they don’t give a damn about the competition–including Bea Cartwright’s own beloved inn.
The other members of the League–Chandra, Kate, and Luella–are turning scarlet. But when local realtor Vivian Frisk is found murdered, and the suspects include Chandra, who lost her beau to the frisky Vivian, the Ladies rally to her defense. They may have to skim a few chapters of the Civil War soap opera and focus on bringing justice to the island they call home… (Goodreads)
Review:
What a magnificent mystery, with Twins with a capital T, and – horrors – rumors of bedbugs in Bea’s bed and breakfast, and rumors that she is either fresh from a prison or psych ward! The author has put together a unique cozy mystery nestled within a unique League of Literary Ladies. Fifth in the League of Literary Ladies series, it can be read as a standalone or within the series.
Tara is not just the fabled home of Scarlett O’Hara anymore, even though our Literary Ladies are reading Gone with the Wind. It is now the name of a recently completed B & B that is outrageous competition with not only the other B & B’s on the island, but especially Bea and B’s. The Twins, Riva and Quentin, are children of a Hollywood star. Not that many years ago, they were kidnapped and held prisoner for about a year, along with priceless Civil War-era coins, until their kidnapper, their mother’s business manager, disappeared with the coins. Not only did they write a best-selling book based on their hostage experience, but a movie is in the works, also. They are full to capacity and turning people away.
Vivian is a realtor who learned the business from her aunt when her earlier career was downsized in the sour economy. It is whispered that Vivian doesn’t use above-board practices in her transactions, including Zane, who was infuriated that the area of his property where he planned to put an in-ground pool was a Native American burial ground so his hands were tied.
The novel opens to her Aunt Estelle’s memorial service. Vivian is emptying her aunt’s home and selling the antiques to those who have expressed interest in them. When Bea went to see Vivian at Estelle’s home about several furnishings at Estelle’s, she ran into Levi, an ex-boyfriend, and the Twins. Nobody answered, but the door was unlocked. Bea noticed that the highboy, silver candlesticks and oil lamp she planned to purchase were noticeably missing. They tried to find Vivian in Estelle’s and finally they did. In the basement, dead, murdered. One of the suspects is Chandra, who is one of the members of the Literary Ladies, as well as being a bit eccentric. She was also the first wife of her now deceased ex-husband – who had been lured away from her by Vivian, many years earlier.
I like Bea and Kate, and was sorry to see that Chandra and Luella are more noticeable by their absence than their presence through much of the novel. While Luella was busy with charter tours, Chandra looks to be more guilty as the novel proceeds. As we see the entire novel through Bea’s eyes, we know her best; she is fully developed as a result. Kate is one of the more reliable friends, a tried-and-true woman who will be present through adventures and thick and thin.The Twins? The more I saw them, the less I like them! Luella is steady and calming, someone I’d like on my side! She has the wisdom that one would like to have as they age. Chandra was simply not my favorite person in this novel as she just seemed too flaky.
At one point fairly early in the novel I thought I knew who the bad guy/ gal was, even though I didn’t yet know a motive. There are stunning twists to the plot, a couple of which tossed a red herring into the mix. It would seem that Bea’s Bea and B was failing rapidly, and the culprit was not easily visible; helping Chandra against her over-the-top behavior was equally as important. Overall, the plot is complex and layered, which I like! I just didn’t like thinking I had named the bad guy or gal so early in the mystery. However, I do highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the League of Literary Ladies cozy mysteries as well as has good memories of Gone with the Wind.
