Paradise Can Be Murder

A Kay Driscoll Mystery, Book #4

Susan Bernhardt

5 Stars

Synopsis:

Kay, Phil, and friends are looking forward to taking their first vacation together on a Caribbean cruise. Visits to exotic islands, sailing through turquoise waters, luxurious dining, and great entertainment await them. But Paradise Can Be Murder when one of the guests on board dies an unnatural death.

With their innate curiosity, Kay and company find themselves in the heart of the investigation. Will they find justice for the victim, amidst secrets and deceit, before the cruise comes to an end and the murderer leaves the ship? Time is ticking away.

Meanwhile, a racially charged hate crime back home shakes the community of Sudbury Falls. (Goodreads)

Review:

Sometime when you read a book, something clicks and you really connect with it. I don’t know if is the author’s writing style, the characters, or the setting that the author creates (I think it is probably all of the above), but you really relate to the book. That is what happened when I read this book (actually when I read all of this author’s books).

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. Kay, Deidre and Elizabeth make quite a threesome. They all have such different personalities, outlooks on life and beliefs, but they truly care for each other and have each other’s backs. Janey is back and as outrageous as ever, which keeps everyone on their toes. But she is also sweet and loves Kay and Phil. And speaking of Phil, he has couple of surprises for Kay on their cruise.

The writing style flows smoothly defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I felt like I was right there on the cruise with the gang (except I did not have seasickness, thankfully). Do not read this book when you are hungry because the author’s description of all the food and drinks will have you craving food. The mystery was well plotted and moved along at a nice pace. There were plenty of clues to sift through and enough red herrings thrown in to challenge the most experienced armchair detective.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Take yourself on a mini vacation and join the cruise, you will have a great time.