Published: August 1, 2020
Book One of the BAREFOOT SLEUTH MYSTERIES
Cozy Mystery, Amateur Detective
A FUN STORY THAT’S PACKING A SOLID MYSTERY!
Ellie Bishop is craving more than a drab job and boring life offer. Travel and excitement are what she’s after, and her wish is answered by the surprise delivery of plane tickets courtesy of her eccentric Aunt Olive. Ellie is already mentally packing, but there’s the convincing her parents to let her quit her dull-as-dirt job and travel over the holidays ahead. But the combination of luck, enthusiasm, and Santa on her side, she prevails. Florida turns out to be a paradise. She quickly falls under its sunny spell. The only problem is that her aunt is nowhere to be found. Her room empty, it’s the first mystery that Ellie encounters, but not the last. A dead body fills that bill, and it draws the young girl on a holiday into a search for a killer.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Ellie Bishop is just a doll and one of the most likeable characters I’ve encountered in a long while. Think author H.Y. Hanna hits it just right with her … and with the entire read for that matter. There’s a relaxed feeling going on, but there’s also a tension when there needs to be so there are chills and scares along the way. It’s a nice juxtapositioning of elements and helps set up this book as one you’ll be reading past your bedtime.
Ellie’s actions and thoughts are appropriate given the set of circumstances, so there is a realism to this fiction. It’s a book that could have gone on forever with no objection from me, but, luckily, it’s the first in the BAREFOOT SLEUTH MYSTERIES, so there’s lots more to go around!
Highly recommend this to any fan of cozy mysteries … or those just wanting a mystery to solve. And speaking of solving, this one does keep you guessing right up to the end. Despite the pleasant nature of the book, the murder is complex and that means you’ll have to put your thinking caps on to discern the culprit … and even then, you just might be surprised!
It’s five stars from Perfect at Midnight for FLIP-FLOPS AND MURDER. Enjoy!
