Peril in the Park

Jamie Quinn Mysteries, Book #3

By: Barbara Venkataraman 

 

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Synopsis:

There’s big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn’s boyfriend, Kip Simons, the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can’t figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there’s a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it’s too late.

Review:

I really like the way that the two previous books in the series were so easily incorporated in the beginning of the book.  A good refresher for me and it would be a great, quick introduction to the series if the reader were beginning here. 

I really enjoy the quick wit of this author…..gets a giggle out of me every time. For example:

 “After waiting for an elevator that never arrived, I hit the stairs, first removing my mismatched shoes (I had another pair just like them at home),…”.   

I can totally relate to Jamie’s comment.

 “I opened my craft closet where I had about a zillion unfinished projects “.

Yup…don’t we all have unfinished projects we will eventually get to? 

 “There were boxes and boxes dedicated to scrapbooking, a hobby I’d intended to try (and spent a bucket of money on), but had never even started. Maybe I could sell the stuff on E-Bay to some other deluded person who would rather chronicle their life than actually live it.”

I do believe that the author’s sense of humour and mine are similar….

“On to the next thing, the Taser. I learned that it’s as easy to buy a Taser as it is to buy a gun, that is to say, very easy, ‘shockingly’ easy (sorry, I couldn’t resist).” 

This line just cracked me up….definitely something I would find ‘puny’.

The mystery and subsequent murder surrounds her boyfriend Kip and his new job as Director of the local parks system.  In the middle of the night Jamie gets an email saying that she should get Kip to back off or bad things are going to happen and with it are a number of attached photos of her and Kip on their various dates around town.  Unfortunately, things DO happen and a death happens…..but why?  The journey to find out the why had many twists and turns (surprisingly given how short this book is) which captivate and entertain.

The storyline about Jamie and her father has gathered steam.  And so that I don’t give anything away…..I liked its twist and turns and quite enjoyed the conclusion…at least the conclusion that came about in this story.  I expect / hope there is more to be played out in future books?

This book more so than the first two, has more depth and I found it a bit more engaging.  I had difficulty putting it down…in fact; I read the book in one sitting on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  If there is anything to criticize….I do not feel there were any open ended story lines to continue this series….I shall just have to wait and see.  I highly recommend reading this new installment of Jamie’s life…intriguing, funny and just downright fun!

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