The Next Deadly Chapter
Mystery Bookshop #10
By V. M. Burns
ISBN 9781496750808
Author’s website: vmburns.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
Michigan bookshop owner and mystery writer Samantha Washington is engaged to be married—but she may have to step over a few bodies before she walks down the aisle . . .
All Sam wanted was to make a good impression on her fiancé Frank’s mother, the very proper Dr. Camilia Patterson. But when Nana Jo and the lively ladies of Shady Acres Retirement Village throw a surprise bridal shower for Sam at the Four Feathers Casino—watch out! Things spin out of control faster than a roulette wheel. Fortunately, Sam knows when to fold ’em and slips back to her room to work on her latest historical mystery set between the wars, in which a houseguest meets a grim end at an English country manor.
The morning after brings another rude surprise. Sam gets a frantic call from Camilia, who’s discovered a dead body in her room. Now winning over her soon-to-be mother-in-law means keeping the good doctor out of a potential scandal and attempting to discreetly solve a murder without ruffling any feathers. For that she’ll need the help of Nana Jo—not exactly the soul of discretion—Detective “Stinky” Pitt, and the ladies—because the casino killer keeps upping the ante. . . (From Goodreads)
Review:
I fully enjoyed this exciting new Mystery Bookshop title! The eclectic, well-defined characters always welcome me into their tale, and now we will meet Sam’s (Samantha’s) future mother-in-law, Dr. Camilia Patterson. I did not like Camilia at first, but felt much better about her by the end. The primary setting was the Four Feathers Resort and Casino on the Pontolomas Reservation near Sam’s southwest Michigan home and bookshop. The author continues to deliver two mysteries; Sam recently published her first cozy/historical novel, and shares her work in progress throughout.
The wedding of Sam (Samantha) and Frank is only weeks away, and she is meeting her future mother-in-law, (“…call me Dr. Patterson”) for the first time. Sam is a warm and loving woman, and Dr. Patterson was neither.
Before Camilia arrived, Sam gave a book talk and signing at the reservation. There was an obnoxious elderly man who heckled her throughout. Nana Jo, her black-belted grandmother, had a few words with the man before Kai, a tribal leader, kicked him out. As an apology, Kai gave Sam and five of her friends the accommodations to spend a four-day weekend at the resort. A simple apology would have sufficed, but Kai insisted, and Dr. Patterson might enjoy the luxury.
Dr. Patterson had a ‘tude when she arrived. Sam enjoys spending time Nana Jo and her best friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village. Dorothy, Ruby Mae, and Irma are like family to Nana Jo as well as Sam. The doctor was cold to all except her beloved son, Frank. At least Sam’s grandmother and his mother began to bond over Murder She Wrote.
When Sam and her guests arrived in the Four Feathers limousine, Sam was given an upgraded, 5,000 square foot penthouse, while the others had the usual luxury suites. Sam traded with Dr. Patterson and felt better on the third floor with Nana Jo and her friends.
Very early the next morning, Dr. Patterson called Sam to her suite. She pointed out a man lying on the floor, wearing only a robe, who was quite dead. This wasn’t just any dead guy, though. It was the rude man who had interrupted her book talk and signing. He was also the owner of the accounting firm recently awarded the contract to audit the books for the resort and casino. They stepped away to change their suites back as originally assigned. Frank’s mother – finally “call me Camilia” – was up for a special promotion and could not afford publicity.
Sam called her sister, Jenna, a pit bull of a defense attorney, and Detective “Stinky” Pitt, with the South Harbor police, as they were not yet certain which law enforcement agency had jurisdiction on the reservation. When they returned to the room, the dead body was gone! The photo Sam took with her phone was the only proof of the dead man.
Thus begins their first full day of luxury and relaxation. They met with Kai and the tribal police chief, who have three days before reporting it to the FBI. Sam, Nana Jo, and their friends have helped Detective Pitt, with murder cases in the past, but Sam didn’t want to get involved yet again. However, to avoid media attention at the resort, they began to search for the body and the killer themselves.
Much to their shock, Camilia, the epitome of elegance and propriety, and Detective Pitt, king of the 1970’s brightly-hued, polyester attire, seemed to be making eyes at each other! They learned what they could from other law enforcement agencies police as Sam, Nana Joe, Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae talked to the dead guy’s widow, his mistress, and his former and his current business partners.
The author seamlessly weaves together panic, laugh-out-loud antics of the older ladies, and pre-WWII British murder into present day Michigan. Many clues, flawlessly executed twists, and a deadly threat to Sam enhanced the adventure. The mysteries in both eras were solved, and was I ever surprised! The resolutions were very satisfying. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate well-written contemporary and pre-WWII mysteries.
