Review

The residents of Scumble River, Illinois have their cowboy boots on and are ready to boogie! Nashville music promoter Rex Taylor is putting on a free concert for the town that features country star Flint James and up-and-coming hometown girl Suzette Neal. Rex wants to turn Scumble River into the next Branson, Missouri, but Skye Denison (school psychologist and police consultant) thinks the town would become a tacky tourist trap instead of the new country music capital. The young and pretty Suzette asks Skye to look into the death of her mother, which occurred in Scumble River many years ago. Unfortunately, Suzette is murdered herself before she can share any information with Skye. It would take more than this to stop Skye - she decides to investigate both Suzette and her mother’s deaths.

Murder of a Creped Suzette is part of a long-running series, but this installment is fresh and entertaining. I especially like the genuine Midwest setting and down-to-earth characters. Skye and her best friend Trixie Frayne, who is the high school librarian, are people I would like to grab a bite with at the local Feed Bag restaurant. They are both intelligent women who are always there for each other. Skye has a great sense of humor, and her comments and observations make the book fun to read.

There is a good mixture of new and returning characters to make the book interesting. Skye’s current boyfriend and police chief Wally Boyd is front and center, and her ex-boyfriend Simon Reid also plays an important role. There is just enough of the eccentric Doozier family that Skye has had to deal with in many prior books to be amusing. Skye’s bossy mother May thankfully makes only a brief appearance in this book.

Since Skye is a consultant to the Scumble River police department, she can officially assist Wally in questioning witnesses and suspects, so her tagging along with him during the investigation of Suzette’s murder is logical and believable. I love that Wally respects Skye’s opinions when they are working together professionally and that he also treats her well when they are off the clock. A couple of times, I became frustrated when Skye would forget to tell Wally something she learned about the murder, but Wally never got mad at her, so I guess the reader should also overlook these incidents! Skye and Wally’s wedding plans are still on hold due to complications with Wally’s annulment. While I know this would also take time in real life, I hope a resolution comes quickly to this particular situation, even if other obstacles are thrown their way.

The mystery is interesting and the country music background added to the plot. Building on the country theme, the author cleverly names each chapter for a country song that is related to the subject matter of the chapter. The book ended on a positive note for Skye and Wally and other residents of the town. I especially enjoyed seeing one of the supporting characters taking responsibility for past mistakes and taking control of her life. Fans of Joanne Fluke will enjoy the character of Skye Denison as well as the small-town setting of the book.

Reviewed by Christine