From the Booking Desk:
After reading the BOLOBooks review of Lowcountry Bombshell, be sure to check out our interview with its author, Susan M. Boyer.
Readers who tested the waters with Lowcountry Boil, Susan M. Boyer’s award-winning debut mystery certainly know what to expect from the second in the series. Lowcountry Bombshell is a fun, infectious romp through Stella Maris, South Carolina and its environs.
Once again, our guide through all things southern and scandalous is Liz Talbot – friend, neighbor, daughter and private investigator. When Marilyn Monroe approaches her about an investigative job, Liz is simply bewildered. Sure, it’s not really Marilyn, but a stunning doppelgänger named Calista McQueen, but that doesn’t make her story any less far-fetched.
Calista is looking for protection, as she fears that with the upcoming anniversary of Marilyn’s death, her own life is in danger. Once Liz hears how Calista’s life story has mirrored that of the deceased bombshell, she begins to understand the concern, even as she wonders if maybe a full-blown investigation is bordering on overkilll.
What follows is a series of set pieces, some of which are naturally comedic and others with a foreboding sense of suspense. When Liz and her partner, Nate invent a scheme to secretly explore a hotel-room, readers will be unable to deny the cleverness of their plan. And later in the story, when a ferry-boat ride goes terribly awry, readers will feel the tension in the air and start flipping the pages faster to ensure all ends well.
Once again, the central mystery in the novel is surrounded with developments in Liz’s ever more complicated love life. Her ex, Michael, is putting the pressure on for a reconciliation. To Michael, this pretty much means marriage and a family in short order. Meanwhile, Nate continues to present a case for being more that just a business partner to Liz. No doubt, there are readers who champion each of these gentlemen over the other, but it is impossible to deny the passion that steams up the pages when Liz and Nate touch.
The mystery itself has no shortage of suspects. As one would expect from a lighter southern mystery, there are some real eccentrics in this list of characters. Between Calista’s family, her ex-husband, her personal trainer, and her psychoanalyst, Liz has plenty of motives to investigate. And then there is the odd housekeeper who seems to have taken an immediate dislike towards Liz.
Lowcountry Bombshell is the perfect mix of mystery and romance. Readers looking for a pleasant distraction from everyday life could do far worse than this entertaining series by Susan M. Boyer. Once you make friends with Liz Talbot, you will have a smile on your face and a loyal buddy for life.
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Disclaimer: An print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the author. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
