Friday, June 3, 2016

Hollywood Comes to an Oceanside Community Bringing Glamour and Murder

Tish Ballard, owner of Rest Easy Property Management, is on the inside track when the movie colony invades the town of Cypress Point. One of her clients has rented his house to the female star, Delilah Ward. Tish is primed to dislike Delilah after dealing with a mountain of requests for upscale additions to the rental house and cleaning up after a wild party, but when she meets Delilah, she's taken with her to the point of thinking they could become friends.

Then the unthinkable happens. Tish comes to inspect the house and finds Delilah lying beside the swimming pool with a bullet in her head. At first Spence Breedlove, Tish's high school nemesis, gives her a hard time. This is a high profile case and they need an arrest. They conclude that Tish isn't a person of interest, but then suspicion falls on Tish's brother, Arthur, who has mental problems. Now Tish has to solve the mystery to keep Arthur out of jail.

A quick read, this cozy mystery is filled with intrigue and glamour. The dress, food, and surroundings of the Hollywood crew are described in lavish detail which draws a sharp contrast to the way Tish and her friends live. Although I often find lavish description detracts from the plot in this instance it was necessary to set the scene and contributed to the atmosphere of the book.

Tish is a character that you like most of the time although some of her antics seems ill advised to the point of being not believable. Spence is wooden during the first part of the book, but comes to life at the end. The Hollywood characters are exaggerations, but seem perfect for the novel.

Although this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone because the author brings in any backstory you need to understand the character's actions.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is a good one.


I received this book from Net Galley for this review.  

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