INDEPENDENCE SLAY written by Shelley Freydont makes a great summer read to take to the beach, and not just for a holiday weekend. Freydont has humor mixed in with a full story line that will have you guessing with each page.

Liv Montgomery has been in Celebration Bay for a while now. Originally from New York, she has never had as much excitement as she has had since she came here. Her newfound friends in this small town know that she can solve any mystery even though she does not have that faith in herself. This is why when one of their own is murdered and another one is missing, many people turn to her in hopes that she can crack the case.

It is Fourth of July weekend and the town has their annual celebration along with the town's famous reenactment of the Battle of the Bay. During the celebration things turn bad. A dead body is found where Henry Gallantine is usually giving the signal to start the festivities. Then Henry ends up missing. One of the town's teenagers, Leo is found at the scene. No one believes that Leo had anything to do with it except for those in the town that do not understand that he is different. With the help of Chaz, who use to be a reporter but now runs the local newspaper, Liv starts asking questions and maybe getting herself a little too close to danger.

I love INDEPENDENCE SLAY and even found myself loving the characters. Including Chaz who comes across as the arrogant type at times, but totally wins you over at the end. INDEPENDENCE SLAY by Shelley Freydont is my first Celebration Bay Mystery and it has me wanting to go back and read the rest! With lively characters and the feel for a small town I found myself totally absorbed in her mystery novel.