Molten Mud Murder
(Alexa Glock Mysteries Book 1)
Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published September 3rd 2019 by Poisoned Pen Press
Goodreads synopsis:
Is the past better left undisturbed, or unearthed?
When a body is found half-submerged in a molten mud pot in one of Rotorua's famous geothermal wonderlands, forensics expert Alexa Glock spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand, which she has been visiting for work. Teeth are her expertise, and the investigation needs her help, as other ways of identifying the body may have... melted away.
Joining Detective Inspector Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa discovers that the murder victim, a city councilman, had trespassed on an island sacred to the Maori. The ancient punishment for such a transgression is disaster, demonic possession, or death... and when she visits the island to investigate, the same outcome is promised for her. Alexa doesn't believe in ancient spirits returning to exact revenge, and when another victim turns up dead she begins to wonder whether the real threat is something—or someone—much closer to home.
***
4.25 Stars
This is the first book in the Alexa Glock mystery series by Sara E. Johnson.
This story is set in New Zealand which I thought was fascinating. Alexa pretty much forces herself into the investigation in the beginning of this. A great bright spot in this book was the character of Detective Inspector Bruce Horne. He really great on me as the book progressed and honestly was the aspect that really kept me reading.
Maybe it was just me but every time they said the name “Alexa” I could hear commercials for Amazon’s Alexa voice activated service in my mind. Maybe they should nickname her Lexi just to keep the comparison at bay.
You get a lot of Maori background in this book which is a bit overwhelming considering you are at the same time trying to dive into the mystery and follow the clues. Alexa does a lot of zany things in this including going to a hot springs type of place and trying to overhear an important conversation. I am not sure I would pay $65 in order to find a few clues. This girl got into more trouble from DI Horne than anyone else due to her compromising the investigation. They had to continually remind her that she was a forensic expert and not an investigator.
I think I enjoyed the teasing of a possible romance between DI Horne and Alexa than anything else. And we were left on a cliffhanger in that regard. Of course, I will have to wait for the next book to see if anything progresses. Sigh!
Pretty good mystery, great characters that stood out and the beginning of a series that leaves promise for more in the future. Who could ask for more?
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
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