Sandy Frances Duncan

I really enjoyed the first three books in this series of a private investigations team who work to solve mysteries on the islands of the Pacific Northwest, with previous books set on Gabriola, Whidbey and Quadra islands, so I was really looking forward to reading the next installment in the series. I love how Noel is based on the Canadian side of the boarder, operating out of his home in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, while Kyra is based on the US side of the border, operating out of her home in Bellingham, Washington. Considering they always travel to the "scene of the crime", this company set up works well. I did like how our former investigative journalist 'I don't like guns' Noel is learning how to shoot a gun and now has a licensed Beretta so that the company has a gun on each side of the border and that he is getting a little more relaxed with Kyra's less than above border investigative (B&E) approach to crime solving. The attention to detail is good without being boring and while I like that the authors bring a lot of the personalities and personal histories of Noel and Kyra into the stories, this time Kyra's rather single-minded focus on her current personal issue started to grate on me. This story also seemed jumped around more than previous ones so I found it easy to get distracted and as a result I developed a bit of a ho-hum response to all that was happening as I was reading it. A slightly less than average read this time from a series that has caught my interest, and not just because of it Pacific Northwest setting. There are still a number of islands in the Pacific Northwest where they can set future stories so I am hoping the authors regroup their writing and go back to a formula more focused on the mystery and less focused on the personal side of the investigative team.

.... and before anyone in the know says "Wait a minute, there isn't a university on San Juan Island.", the authors do admit to taking artistic license when they placed Morsely University on the island - and a very lovely one it is, based on how it is described and the history they created for it! - for the purposes of this story so if that type of fictionalization of the island will annoy you, I suggest you don't read the book.… (más)

Book three in the Island Investigations International Mystery series finds our two detectives Noel Franklin and Kyra Rachel once again asked to investigate. This time they are hired by Noel old high school friend Jason Cooper. Jason's oldest son Derek is in a coma in the hospital, the outcome of what appears to be a senseless attack on the young twenty year old that does not appear to have any known enemies. Jason's middle son, Shane, is a promising up and coming figure skater being groomed for the Olympics. As such, the figure skating world is largely captured in this book and explains the choice of cover image.

This one was a let down for me after the first two books in the series. There is more focus on the personal lives of our detectives here and, sadly, it was rather easy for me to figure out who did and there weren't too many surprises this time to keep me guessing. On the negative side, this book was in need of a continuity review prior to going to publication. I have an issue when I am reading a story with a character named Sam only to have his name change part way through the story to Jim with no explanation and then to discover further on a new character by - you guessed it - the name of Sam. Stuff like that drives me crazy! ***small rant over***

Overall, an okay read that fit my purpose of something non-taxing to read as a way to relax after a hectic work week, but nothing amazing to write home about or to recommend.… (más)

Whidbey Island General Hospital nurse Sandro Vasiliadis has supposedly died of a heroin overdose. When at the viewing his mother claims the body in the casket is not Sandro, Kyra Rachel and her partner Noel Franklin are called in to investigate. As the two investigate they encounter hesitant friends, a secretive family and more questions. What on the surface should be a simple case of identification of the body proves to be anything but simple as our investigators find themselves uncovering secrets that certain individuals wish to keep secret.

After reading this book, I can happily report that I do enjoy this mystery series. The setting is familiar, it is easy to relate to the Canadian-American banter between Bellingham-based Kyra and Naniamo-based Noel and the mysteries are not as simple as they appear to be on the surface. I enjoyed this one for a number of reasons. The characters are a nice range of humanity (the good, the bad and everything in between). Of particular interest for me was that it deals in part with the fascinating medical/scientific topic of transgendered sexual identity and sexual reassignment procedures. I thought I would mention this as a heads up for any readers that might not be comfortable reading about this topic when they thought they were picking up a murder mystery. The main characters - Kyra and Noel - have developed nicely from their introductory roles in book one and show signs of further character development to come. Lastly, I like how the reader is privy to the various viewpoints and activities of key players in this mystery, which our investigators (and the other key players) are not necessarily aware of, without giving away the whole story.

Not a gripping police procedural or fast-paced thriller but a good page-turning mystery nonetheless and a great way to spend a lazy Sunday reading!… (más)