Lowcountry Boomerang
Paperback, 270 pages
Published September 3rd 2019 by Henery Press
Goodreads synopsis:
Private investigators Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews are all set to enjoy some quality time on the beach. That’s until they get the news about Darius. Darius DeAndre Baker, star of the hit TV show, Main Street USA, has had enough of the Hollywood highlife. After ten years of visiting everyone else’s hometown, he returns to his own—Stella Maris, South Carolina.
But the moving trucks have barely unloaded when Trina Lynn Causby, Darius’s high school girlfriend, turns up dead, and the entire town reels as Darius is arrested.
Despite the mounting evidence against him, Liz and Nate believe Darius is innocent. They dig through a scandalously long list of suspects, including Darius’s three ex-wives—who have all arrived in Stella Maris—and his love child with Trina Lynn.
But Trina Lynn led a complicated life. She had at least one stalker and two suitors—one with a jealous wife who recently made a deliciously outrageous scene when Trina Lynn turned up at a charity ball.
As the danger mounts, Liz and Nate race to find a killer and clear Darius’s name—and keep him alive
***
4.5 Stars
This is the eighth book in the Liz Talbot mystery series by Susan M. Boyer.
I am always an advocate for starting off the book by jumping right into the action but in this instance the murder happens before the book even starts. I felt like I was a few steps behind when I started reading. This series is one of my favorites but for some reason I didn’t feel the normal connection I was used to between Nate and Liz. Oh, they did and said all the right things but I felt there was some sort of spark missing. Not sure what it was. Maybe it was just me.
The entire storyline concerning Darius Baker, a celebrity coming home to Stella Maris to lead a quieter life, really caught my attention. I thought that whole backstory was fascinating. I wonder if any of these characters will show up in future books. There were a LOT of people littered throughout the book and it was easy to tell who was who… even the more minor characters were well rounded. I thought that was nice.
In the Afterwork there is a mention of this book taking place in 2015. Since I am not familiar with the area, I did not notice any irregularities in terrain and structures, but people from the area might. Some landmarks were different or not even there in 2015. I find it nice that this is set in a real place. Gives the book some depth and history.
There wasn’t as much of the Stella Maris ghost as there has been in past books. I miss all the banter between her and Liz. It is what makes these books so fun to read.
Concerning some of the normal cast… I didn’t totally understand why Sonny and his new partner were not let into the story fully. They were pushed to arms length the entire time. I missed them. I think having them to bounce ideas off of might have made the identity of the killer so much more simple to detect and understand. We really had too limited a view of a couple of the main suspects. So when Liz had that leap in logic about Sonny’s cryptic clue I was surprised to the identity of the killer. Not what I was expecting. But that is what you expect in mysteries, right? For them to throw you off track and hand you a red herring or two.
It was nice to see Liz’s parents have a bigger role this time and Blake was around a lot more, probably because Sonny was persona non grata. Of course, the book wouldn’t be complete without one of the main characters losing a car or two. Their insurance must be sky high.
All in all, it was one great book. I had a few misgivings but as a long-time fan of this series, I can over look those things. I might have to do a marathon of this series in the future. This is a world I am happy to invest my time in. Definitely a cozy mystery series to keep your eyes on.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank Edelweiss, Henery Press and the author for allowing me to read this title.
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