Published: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0425282618
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Romance
Format: Print
Obtained via: Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address: Gina Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com
THREE-1/2 Hearts
Life for Lena London in bucolic Blue Lake has been pretty nice
these past few weeks. Exonerated from
being accused of murdering his ex-wife, Victoria, thanks to Lena’s efforts, she
and Sam West are finally able to move along in their relationship. On top of that, aside from working as the
assistant to her all-time favorite author, Camilla Graham, Lena’s name is on
the cover of Graham’s upcoming release as a co-author. It turns out Victoria isn’t dead, but
missing. Given her love of reading and
now writing mysteries, Lena can’t help but get involved in looking for
Victoria. Just when it looks like a clue
is about to be revealed, there is another murder not only in Blue Lake but on
Sam’s property. Given the already
existing notoriety surrounding Sam, it isn’t long before the press descends on
Blue Lake with any number of reporters looking for a story. With reporters dodging their every move, can Sam,
Lena, Camilla and her new beau, Adam, find Victoria before she goes deeper underground?
I really like the premise of Julia Buckley’s Writer’s Apprentice
series—an aspiring author gets to work with and for her most favorite
author. It sounds like a dream come true
for any aspiring author. The second book
in the series, DEATH IN DARK BLUE is a mixed bag. The title isn’t as catchy as most cozy
mysteries are—but the cover is adorable.
The characters are interesting and Buckley doesn’t leave out her secondary
characters as she develops their storylines as well. At times Lena sounded more like a teen in the
first throws of romance than a mid-20’s career woman.
DEATH IN DARK BLUE is a good one is not your typical cozy. Yes, there are a couple of quirky characters,
a determined female sleuth and a cadre of devoted friends. The story itself reads more like a romantic
suspense than your general cozy mystery.
In fact, with just some slight changes in direction and making Lena a
bit more mature, it would have been a fantastic romance suspense. Cozy purists may be disappointed because most
of the book was about Lena and Sam’s romance rather than the steps she was
taking trying to solve the crime.
The writing is tight and the mystery of where Victoria is well done. The ending was, however, for me, a big turn off. Rather than the end story on an up note with a conclusion of the mystery surrounding Victoria’s disappearance, the author dangles the storyline of the next book. I’m not a fan of “cliffhangers” because for the most part they come across like a ploy to get you to buy the next book rather than add spice to the story. If a writer is going to do that they should consider a disclaimer in the beginning or on the back cover that the story is not concluded so if you want to know how it ends be ready to buy the next book.
This is an objective review and not an endorsement of
this book.
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