Devereaux ("Dev") Sinclair, owner of the local five-and-dime
store in Shadow
Bend, Missouri, enjoys her life, for the most part. Her
store, purchased a few
years ago from aging twins, is doing well, as is her side
business of making
custom gift baskets. She's grown accustomed to being the
target of gossip
since her father went to prison years ago for white collar
crime, although
she's never believed the accusations against him and she's
gone out her way
to make sure that everything she does is squeaky clean
(which is why she's
terrified when she discovers a purchase she makes from Elise
Whitmore may
have actually been illegal). And things are on track with
Jake Del Vecchio,
Deputy U.S. Marshal and the man she's been dating for the
past month --
until he stands her up for a date because he's suddenly
called back to active
duty and his first assignment is an undercover gig with his
ex-wife as his
boss.
On the same night, Dev's ex-boyfriend (from her high school
days), Noah
Underwood calls her and asks if she could be his date to a
high society
fundraiser. Although Dev would rather do anything else, she
relents since
Noah also explains that, while there, he could connect her
to a real estate
agent who may be interested in making a large, ongoing gift
basket order.
The night is cut short, though, when Dev's friend Boone (and
Noah's arch
enemy) calls to say he's been arrested for Elise's murder.
Dev can't believe that Boone would ever murder anyone, so
she decides to do
whatever she can to prove his innocence. Although Noah
can't stand Boone,
he agrees to help her in case it helps him win her over.
Also joining in the
effort is Dev's best friend Poppy, the police chief's
daughter. Poppy and the
police chief haven't gotten along in years, and Poppy
believes he has arrested
Boone just to irritate her since she and Boone are friends.
However, evidence
mounts against Boone and Dev and her friends have their work
cut out for
them.
NICKELED-AND-DIMED To DEATH is an entertaining read, and I
was kept guessing by the mystery
throughout the entire book. The characters in the book are
fun to read about,
especially Dev's grandmother who keeps pushing her toward
Jake, rather than
Noah. Like many small towns, many of the people who
populate the book are
vivid and lively characters who end up unwittingly sharing
clues with Dev. I
do, hope, though that the romantic conflict between Jake and
Noah gets
resolved soon so it does not get tedious.
Dev’s five-and-dime may be doing well, but her love life is
in turmoil. She’s torn between Deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Del
Vecchio, who is on an undercover assignment, and her ex-beau
Noah Underwood, the local doctor from a high-society family.
So she welcomes the distraction when Elise Whitmore offers
her a great deal on antique chocolate molds that would be
perfect for her Easter gift baskets. But do the molds
actually belong to Elise’s soon-to-be ex-husband? In buying
them, has Dev committed a felony?
When Elise is found shot to death, the mystery deepens—and
Dev’s good friend Boone, who discovered the body, is taken
into custody. With the help of her best buds, Dev must clear
Boone’s name and find the real killer. Good thing that when
it comes to amateur sleuths, they broke the mold with Dev
Sinclair.
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