What do you, oh, amateur sleuth, do when your best suspect gets herself blown up?
That is essentially the problem Jenna Hart faces in "Simmering With Resentment". The return of a nemesis and the bombing of your soon to be husband's bistro can't be a coincidence, can it? Or could it? When husband-to-be Rhett Jackson is injured in the bombing, Jenna is absolutely, positively certain it was Sarita who did it. After all, both Rhett and she had been instrumental in reopening the case that sent Sarita to prison. But then the boat Sarita had rented is blown up, killing Sarita. Suddenly your theory of of whodunit isn't looking as sound. Talk about complications.
Although this is the eleventh book in this series, I have somehow missed it until now. It didn't really matter. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The author does an excellent job of filling in background events and character as needed. In fact, I felt as if I got to know the various characters well and liked them. Now, true, Jenna is a bit relentless, as she's aptly described in the book, at reporting her theories to the police detective in charge, but I liked her, too. Heck, even the female police officer in question liked her, even while trying to calm her down. With her wedding drawing near, a town full of wedding obsessed tourists in town for a Bride's Dream Expo, and the bombings, it's no wonder she was a bit tightly wound. That said, with an unknown murderer on the loose, I was amazed to see her taking the dog for a walk alone.
With several plausible suspects and red herrings, I never guessed the guilty party. In fact, I had the wrong person pegged until nearly the end and had just discarded them when the big reveal happened. In the process, I was salivating with all the food talk. I should note that recipes with excellent instructions are included. I'm not even sure the food talk didn't get more space than the wedding talk although, when I think about it, the two blended together nicely as wedding plans and menus were discussed and embellished.
Bottom line, an intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing with likeable characters and, oh, yes, not just the previously mentioned dog but cats and oh, so adorable kittens. Thank you #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for inviting me to Jenna and Rhett's wedding, not to mention all the excitement beforehand.
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