New Corpse In Town
(Secret Seal Isle Mysteries #1)
by Lucy Quinn
This is a fun mystery with crazy characters, sexy guys, and a good plot. Sprinkles of humor thrown in made it an enjoyable short read! A first in the series and it certainly made me want to continue it! ( )

Cookie and her mom, Rain, have purchased an inn on Seal Island (though why it was for sale isn't explained in this book). Cookie intends to run it as an inn, but Rain scares away their only paying guests and seems to have other ideas about how to make money.

Rain finds a dead body in the water near their inn. Cookie calls on her former partner, FBI agent Hunter, to help her discover what happened when the local police don't seem too inclined to pursue it.

The plot was interesting, but there were a few holes (discussed later after the spoiler alert).

Spoiler Alert Notice:

****
What I liked: the author did a good job with the romantic tension between Hunter, Dylan, and Cookie--though if it goes on for too many books I could see it getting irritating;

What I didn't like: Rain buying marijuana; Rain sharing a joint with a paying inn customer causing the husband to cancel the rest of their reservation; Rain and Winter planning to start a business selling items that contain illegal substances; Hunter pretending he doesn't notice the illegal substances (though I do like that he is being loyal to Cookie by doing so)

I didn't get the picture that Hunter was the type who thrived on pursuit and the hunt and not so much on the commitment that came after the hunt was over. I could see Cookie knowing that about him since she'd worked closely with him. I could see the first part--Cookie did say she was often the one restraining his go full bore ahead attitude--but he seems committed to his job. We know little about his romantic life prior to this. I'm not sure if Cookie's assessment was correct--maybe she meant that his job would always come first with him rather than that he wasn't good at commitment.

When Cookie, Hunter, and Dylan are pursuing Stone Harris, either Dylan or Cookie tell Harris that everyone on the island has the ferry captain's cell phone number--yet when they are heading to the artist's colony to pick up Stone and hoping to get there before the ferry picks him up--NO ONE thinks to try calling the ferry to tell him not to pick Stone up at the artist's dock? (I mean, I could see if they tried and realized there was no cell service--something they do later when they discuss trying to get law enforcement to meet the ferry on the other side to arrest Stone--but they don't even think about making a call until the ferry has already picked up Stone and left.) ( )

A lighthearted cozy mystery. Yes, it was a bit different, but I enjoyed it. ( )

The FBI agent is hiding out from the mob with a new name, a new job running a small inn on an island in Maine, and her unrepentant hippie mother making her nutz. Then a body washes up on the shore in at the back of the inn but the lackluster deputy just blows it off as an accident with no evidence or interest. So she gets in touch with the hottie who is her former partner who speeds to the rescue looking all Men In Black taking charge and the sparks begin to fly, especially as she had been getting friendly with her contractor.
Lots of laughs over the antics of the mom who has absolutely no filters. This is a fun book, not a police procedural.
Traci Odom manages to accomplish the narration without totally cracking up! ( )

I found this novel unsatisfying both as a mystery and as a romance.

The mystery is overly simple, and only dragged out as long as it did because everyone involved was acting like idiots.

The romance... well. I am bored with the Hot Chick protagonist having 2 Hot Dudes both panting for her, and she unable/unwilling to choose between them- and, of course, they have infinite patience, while she's all about the one she's currently with. It's especially stupid when both Hot Dudes look like seriously bad news in their own ways.

If you are in trying circumstances in real life and need distraction- this could offer it. All aspects are so repetitive that it really does not matter if you are paying attention.

Other than that circumstance, not recommended, even for free (as it currently is). ( )