Details:
Series: Deadwood Humorous Mystery Series #1
Pages: 376
Edition: Kindle
Publisher/Date: Corvallis Press / January 15, 2011
Price: $0.99 on Amazon (free for Amazon Prime Members)
★★★★★★★★☆☆
If you like humorous mystery novels, hop aboard the train to Deadwood for the adventures of Deadwood’s own (sort of) realtor, Violet Parker.
Violet Parker is the modern-day, single-mom version of Nancy Drew. A single mother of 9-year-old twins, Violet quits her job selling cars and moves back to her hometown, living with her aunt, to start over. She gets her Realtor’s license and joins the local three-person real estate office, Calamity Jane’s. Unfortunately, things aren’t going well for Violet. Her probation period is almost up and she’s yet to make a sale.
Her current “clients” consist of a potential seller, Willis Harvey (?), who greeted her with the barrel of his gun, Bessie, when she knocked at his door, and a potential buyer, “Doc” Nyce, the hunky, mysterious new owner of the shop next to Calamity Jane’s who rejects every house she shows him because he “smells” ghosts in them.
Violet is thrilled when a motivated seller, jewelry store owner Wolfgang Hessler, strolls in and asks Violet to help sell his now-deceased mother’s historic home. Sure, it’s a (serious) fixer-upper, but with her job on the chopping block, she jumps at the chance.
In the midst of trying to save her job, Violet must also deal with her obnoxious coworker, Ray, who is trying to get her fired so his nephew can take her place and investigate the father of her daughter’s new BFF, Kelly, who Violet thinks might be behind the disappearance of three young girls.
With a town full of suspects, this story is more than a “who-dun-it” – it’s a “who-dun-what-where-why-and-how.”
Violet was totally likable. She’s smart, witty, independent and, most of all, a great mom. Although her curiosity put her into some interesting situations, her intentions were always innocent (well, maybe not when it came to Doc).
For being sort of a “bad boy” love interest – which I normally hate – Doc remained fairly likable. He was definitely closed off emotionally, but you just knew he was a good guy. Plus, his double entendres that had Violet repeatedly sticking her foot in her mouth were hilarious.
I have to say, the ending surprised me. It’s like I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t quite sure how it would happen – and they definitely threw in some things I didn’t expect. What I liked most about the ending was how it managed to “solve the case” but introduce another one.
It left me satisfied and wanting more.
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