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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