Jeopardy in July

Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book #5

By Barbara Venkataraman   

ISBN: B06XWJK9TP

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

Old people were dying at an alarming rate at La Vida Boca, a posh assisted living facility in Boca Raton, Florida. With its sterling reputation, dedicated staff, and top-notch medical care, none of the deaths are considered suspicious, but when members of the poker club start to die under strange circumstances, attorney Jamie Quinn finds herself once again embroiled in a mystery. With help from her new friend, Jessie Sandler, and her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie uncovers a crime that took place forty years earlier. Can she stop the killer in time? Or is she in danger of becoming the next victim? (Goodreads)

Review:

Jeopardy in July is the fifth book in the Jamie Quinn Mystery series by Barbara Venkataraman. I have been following this series from the beginning and I must say, it has been a highly entertaining journey. And by far, Jeopardy in July is my favourite of the series. Of note, while I do not think you have to read the previous books in the series, it would add to enjoyment of the book as you would have garnered more context with respect to the trials and tribulations (and her quirky character) that Jamie has encountered to get to this point in her life.

What we have here in Jeopardy is July is a well paced mystery (or two… or three?). Jamie is left to her own devices again as Kip (her boyfriend) is in Australia saving the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat. As the story begins, Jamie is attending to a legal matter (a divorce for a couple who have been married for 60 years!) at La Vida Boca. Except that ½ of the couple is being taken to the hospital as Jamie is waiting for them… and so the mystery begins. Will Clarence Petersen be okay to continue the mediation of a divorce settlement from his wife Shirley (after sixty years of marriage)?

I loved the opening sequence, filled with witty comments about turning off the siren to the ambulance before coming to the front door of La Vida Boca (a five-star assisted living facility in Boca Raton, Florida) that had me chuckling right at the start ☺. 

“It was wise not to startle them since only one stretcher fit in the back of the ambulance at a time. In truth, the old folks never got too excited about the ambulance anymore, but if a fire engine happened to show up, that got them out of their chairs in a hurry (relatively speaking) because who doesn’t love a shiny red fire engine?”

This is the type of humor that I do enjoy and it is not easy to find, but Jeopardy in July is peppered with many humorous thoughts such as noted above!

As the mystery morphs into more than one mystery, Jamie becomes engrossed in the lives of those who live at La Vida Boca – and let me tell you – some of those residents are a hoot. We also have her favorite PI Duke Broussard, bestie Grace and her boyfriend (and Jamie’s frenemy) Nick taking part in solving the mysteries that are abounding throughout the story. Additionally, Jessie and her adorable labradoodle Marley played a key role at La Vida Boca. 

Without getting into details (after all – I do NOT want to take your fun away), this was a well paced mystery with interesting characters (from the main character all the way down to the bad guy!). You will encounter murder, love, deceit, humorous senior citizens, a lovable dog, forgeries, theft, past intersecting the present…. Lots of things to keep a reader engaged and entertained.

I have seen the growth in the writing style of the author throughout the series and I must say, I have loved this evolution, keeping me engaged and vested in the life of the protagonist as well as other major characters in this series. I cannot wait to read more from Barbara Venkataraman.

If you like cozy mysteries mixed with humor and a down-to-earth, real, fallible main character – I suggest you pick up Jamie Quinn Mystery series, specifically Jeopardy in July and have yourself a fun filled read.