Olivia Grant only went to England at the insistence of her mother. After all, her mother insisted Olivia needed to reacquaint herself with her British cousins while recovering from her recent divorce. However, Olivia's vacation was anything but relaxing as the very first day she discovers the dead body of her aunt. No one seems to have liked Noreen, who was much younger than Olivia's recently deceased uncle. But was her death a murder or an accidental drowning?
DEAD IN THE WATER is the first book in the Olivia Grant Mysteries. I like the British setting, although I suspect the rest of the series will occur back in California. Olivia is an intriguing main character, although Noreen's dog, Mr. Tarkington, steals the show. I love each and every scene Mr. Tarkington makes an appearance!
Olivia has a whole household full of potential murderers as none of her British relatives are all that pleasant. I particularly dislike her cousin, Chaz, and I think my perceptions of the book are colored by my distaste at how some of his behaviors were excused. In fact, I tend to side with Mr. Tarkington's perspective on Chaz.
DEAD IN THE WATER is an interesting start to a new cozy mystery series. I'm just a wee bit sorry we won't see more of Mr. Tarkington in future books, but I still look forward to seeing what Phyllis A. Humphrey has in store for us with the Olivia Grant Mysteries.
From award winning author Phyllis A. Humphrey comes a brand
new series that will have you laughing out loud and guessing
whodunit until the very end...
Feeling at loose ends after her recent divorce, dedicated
chocoholic Olivia Grant decides to visit relatives in jolly
old England. Only things are anything but inviting when upon
arrival Olivia stumbles on the dead body of her uncle's
much-younger widow floating in the estate's lily pond. The
police's theory: the victim had been drinking and fell in
the pond while out walking her dog. But, if that's true,
Olivia wonders how the dog got back in the house. Much to
the chagrin of her eccentric British relatives, Olivia tries
her hand at amateur sleuthing. Hey, if Kinsey Milhone can do
it, so can she! What Olivia didn't count on was a family
member with a secret worth blackmailing over, a trip to a
home for aging criminals, and the appearance of a mysterious
Mr. X. When another dead body falls at Olivia's feet she
knows she's closing in on the killer...but will she catch
him before he catches up to her?
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