Review by Cynthia Chow
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
After nearly getting arrested for murder on the cruise ship where she worked as the cruise director, Sierra Sullivan was furloughed and found herself moving to Spindrift Cove, Washington, to be closer to her daughter. It’s been challenging for the former entertainer to find work even near the Hollywood North known as Vancouver, which is why Sierra is at a children’s birthday party subbing in as a last-minute replacement Elsa. An inadvertent wig malfunction sends her into the homeowner’s home, where she has a post-coital run-in with the host Derek Davenport and a woman who is definitely not his wife. The awkwardness only escalates when she finds the body of Davenport in the bounce house, dead with the DNA scratch marks Sierra left on the predatory man’s arm. As much as Sierra hoped to spend time with her daughter, having Melanie being one of the responding police officers was probably not the best way to go about it.Sierra had hoped that moving into her daughter and son-in-law’s detached apartment would mend their somewhat strained relationship, but now it looks as though she may be jeopardizing Melanie's career. When Melanie is removed from the investigation due to a conflict of interest, Sierra makes it her mission to not only prove her innocence but reinstate her daughter back as a rising detective. Melanie’s frustration and warnings to her mother to not interfere are gradually worn down by Sierra’s good-intentions, especially when it looks as though the investigation is being corrupted by sexist officials. Determined to put her acting skills to good use while solving a murder, Sierra is helped by her daughter’s enthusiastic mother-in-law and an undeniably appealing caterer.
Readers will remember Sierra from her first appearance in the Laurel McKay mystery Dying for a Diamond, where Laurel prevented her cousin from being railroaded into a conviction for theft and murder. Here Sierra takes the lead as a resilient detective helping her daughter while finding a fulfilling career for herself. The promise of romance is just a bonus although it does make the trial of auditioning for local theater productions a little less stressful. Sierra wavers between being a protective mother and being someone looking for the grown-ups in charge, meaning that she is extraordinarily relatable and sympathetic. Equally as realistic is Melanie’s frequent exasperation with her mother, especially when Sierra attempts to be the Mom at the police station. This is such a fun and funny start of a new series, one that takes advantage of the northern Washington setting and its eclectic mix of entitled and quirky characters. Sierra’s humor and skills as an entertainer make her a unique and exuberant amateur detective, one whose next adventures can’t come soon enough.
To
enter to win an ebook copy of Birthdays are Murder, simply email KRL at
krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and
with the subject line "birthdays,” or comment on this article. A winner
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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).
Sample should be much better known! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun book. Thanks for the giveaway. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for this giveaway. I love Cindy's books. So funny!
ReplyDeletekphillips101(at)ymail(dot)com
We have a winner!
ReplyDelete