loribonesscaswell

Dollycas’s Thoughts

As soon as I read the above synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. Thank you Kensington for the early copy!

Mallory had no idea who she was engaged to, but his overbearing mother was pushing her over the edge. Finding out the guy was cheating on her was just icing on the cake. Then in a weird twist of fate she inherits Thistle Park, a mansion in need of loads of tender loving care. Mallory is faced with putting it up for sale but to that she is going to need to make some improvements. Finding a dead body in the front yard was not the renovation she had planned. The wedding was cancelled but her sister’s arrives to help in anyway she can. Never knowing she would be helping Mallory catch a killer.

So much happens in this story that intrigued me in addition to the murder. The house that Mallory inherited could be amazing in the hands of the right person. My imagination was running wild with ideas. Then what do you do when your wedding is cancelled and the venue refuses to return your huge deposit? You will have to read the story to find out.

As far as the murder, the man wronged so many people, meaning there are so many that could want him dead. Her ex-future mother-in-law could even be involved. Surely she wouldn’t kill someone, or would she? The clues seem to lead in circles at times but that just added to my reading pleasure.

Mallory starts out as a “goes with the flow” type of woman, but scorned she is a force to be reckoned with. She is a lawyer who is smart and organized and definitely doesn’t need a man making decisions for her. I was so impressed with her transformation just in this first book. I can’t wait to see what she takes on in the next story.

Her sister, Rachel, has yet to find her niche. She has tried several things but doesn’t really stick with anything long. She tends to find herself living with her mom and step-dad or having them bail her out of situations. Mallory is the responsible one, timid about trying new things. They each need to rub a little off an each other and they will make a fantastic team.

I enjoy the way Ms. Blackmoore writes, it is so descriptive. I could picture everything so clearly. She also unfolds the story at a brisk pace.

Even the secondary characters are fleshed out, real and believable. Keith, the ex and his mother Helene, are excellent characters to dislike. I am not going to lie, I would not have shed a tear if one of them was the body in the front yard, but they turned the story on its ear in their own way. The neighbors are interesting and the Chief of Police just happens to live in the house behind Thistle Park, with his son and granddaughter.

This is a fabulous debut! A great start to what I hope will become a long running series!

I see the next book in the series, Murder Wears White, will be out January 31, 2017 and is available for pre-order. I am looking forward to it already!