loribonesscaswell

Dollycas’s Thoughts

With a main character with the name Davis Way (I once lived in a town with a street by that name) I knew this was going to be a very interesting story. What I didn’t expect was to be laughing out loud one minute and on the edge of my seat the next. This happened repeatedly throughout the story. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Davis Way is a twice divorced, (from the same man), former police officer (her daddy is the chief) with a degree in criminal justice and information technology, (meaning she has a few hacking skills) woman from the teeny tiny town of Pine Apple, (two words) Alabama. She has been interviewing for a job in Biloxi, Mississippi for weeks and still has not seen or heard the job description. She accepts the job at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino with absolutely no idea what she is going to be doing.

She never imagined running into her ex x 2 husband or her doppelganger but she does.
Nor did she imagine she would find any dead bodies but several appear in her path.
She also didn’t imagine ending up behind bars but that is exactly where she lands.
Maybe she should have looked at that employment contract more carefully because she while she didn’t expect to hit the jackpot the only luck she seems to have is Very Bad.

I got on my stool and pulled the lever and hit the winning combination when I started reading this story and I had a hard time putting it down. Davis’ new job starts out crazy and I loved all the “security” assignments she was doing for the casino. Little mini mysteries. But then the story takes a dark turn and I was in shock and felt horrible for Davis and didn’t know how she was going to get herself out of a huge mess. I can’t say more without spoiling the story, so the plot talk stops here. 🙂

What I can say is Gretchen Archer has written an amazing story. She takes Davis on a wild ride and never takes her foot off the gas. I really liked Davis, she is brassy, smart and persistant but she has her flaws. Her father has her back always, her mother and sister not so much. The rest of the supporting cast is so well written and some are very complex souls. Davis meets a lot of very unique people. Most of them have secrets or are hiding something.

I found the casino/hotel setting very interesting. I am not much of a gambler myself but have played the slots a few times. Nothing as elaborate at what Davis was dealing with though. I loved the two “grandmas” she meets. That may be me someday. The knowledge of what goes on from behind the scenes from the basements to the guest rooms to the office was all very captivating.

To say this book is entertaining is a gross understatement. It is a fabulous debut. Full of twists and turns and is different from other cozy mysteries I have read. You have to read this book!! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. Kudos Ms. Archer! You have hit the jackpot!!