Release Date: Sept 3/2013
Adquired: Ebook copy provided by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Kobo Books/Book Depository
Private Investigator Liz Talbot thinks she’s seen another ghost when she meets Calista McQueen. She’s the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe. Born precisely fifty years after the ill-fated star, Calista’s life has eerily mirrored the late starlet’s—and she fears the looming anniversary of Marilyn’s death will also be hers.
Before Liz can open a case file, Calista’s life coach is executed. Suspicious characters swarm around Calista like mosquitoes on a sultry lowcountry evening: her certifiable mother, a fake aunt, her control-freak psychoanalyst, a private yoga instructor, her peculiar housekeeper, and an obsessed ex-husband. Liz digs in to find a motive for murder, but she’s besieged with distractions. Her ex has marriage and babies on his mind. Her too-sexy partner engages in a campaign of repeat seduction. Mamma needs help with Daddy’s devotion to bad habits. And a gang of wild hogs is running loose on Stella Maris.
With the heat index approaching triple digits, Liz races to uncover a diabolical murder plot in time to save not only Calista’s life, but also her own.
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I say this EVERY.TIME, but I keep forgetting how very much I enjoy mysteries. Why do I keep forgetting that? I have PILES of mysteries on my shelves, taunting me, every day. Whyyy I'm neglecting them? Lowcountry Bombshell was a hot mess of fun from the very first page. A Marylin Monroe doppleganger!? It was such a quirky, and clever, story line to run with. I was sad to realize that this is actually book 2 in a series of Liz Talbot mysteries, but I don't think you would have had to read book 1 in order to fall in love with the characters, and Susan Boyer's talent for great mystery writing.Lowcountry Bombshell moved quickly, fleshing out characters, and laying down the main plot at a pace that was impossible to not get seriously hooked on. Calista McQueen is scared, that her eerily similar life and looks to the late Marilyn Monroe, will end in a death that mirrors the starlet's too. She hires the protective, and investigative services of Liz Talbot, who then enters a case like nothing she's ever dealt with before. One where EVERYONE and their mother becomes a potential suspect, and no suspicious activity is ignored. Lowcountry was as "whodunnit," as a mystery can get, and I was halfway done the book before I even realized it. One of the best page-turning mysteries I've read this year!
If you're looking for a read to ease you out of summer, one that is deliciously fun, light, and a whole slew of quirky, then Lowcountry Bombshell is the one to dish out the cash for. It even had a romance aspect that caught me completely off-guard, not to mention some intimate scenes that are seriously blush-worthy. I'm always a sucker for Southern settings, and this one provided a backdrop that was easy to envision. The characters were the exact amount of suspicious, and the conclusion will have you wondering how you didn't realize it earlier. I'm one click away from purchasing Lowcountry Boil, I only wish I knew about it earlier!
Recommended for Fans of: Cozy Mystery, Chick-Lit, Romance.
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Susan M. Boyer has been making up stories her whole life. She tags along with her husband on business trips whenever she can because hotels are great places to write: fresh coffee all day and cookies at 4 p.m. They have a home in Greenville, SC, which they occasionally visit.
Susan’s debut novel, LOWCOUNTRY BOIL (a Liz Talbot Mystery) is an Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense recipient, and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist. LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL, the next book in the Liz Talbot series, will be released September 3, 2013.
Susan’s short fiction has appeared in Moon Shine Review, Spinetingler Magazine, and Relief Journal, among others.
Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to Henery Press for sending me a e-ARC to review!
Reeka, thank you so much for reading! I so appreciate your time, and wow--a million thank yous for this fabulous review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the read!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a ringing endorsement. I'll have to pick up a copy.
ReplyDeleteA good mystery IS a great treat to read! I hope you'll remember to pick up books like this more often in the future. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!
I love the Marilyn Monroe doppleganger storyline! So glad you liked this one!
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