Once again, I was instantly reminded why I love Reagan Davis' books so much. Not only interesting, unique characters, but her skill and deftness with writing. Reading her description of the view as seen from a luxury yacht, I was instantly pulled in. I wanted to find out what the heck main character Karla Bell was doing on a luxury yacht and was charmed as Karla described the horizon, a "blurry boundary between ocean and sky that she could see but never touch, chase but never catch. Elusive. Limitless and untouchable."
The yacht and the awe inspiring views it can provide certainly play a role in the story, but the big question is, well, make that two big questions: One, who is the murderer and, two, uh, who was the victim? Karla is aboard to promote Bellflower estate, her ancestral home, as a marriage destination to a prominent social media influencer who just happens to come from a rich family. They're all astounded to discover someone has used Karla's name to sneak onto the ship, someone whose body is soon found dead in a tub of water. Who killed... well, whatever her name is?
There are ample suspects. Saskia and husband-to-be Ben seem to be a lovely young couple, so why aren't they being truthful? Karla, with her ability to read people's tells -- involuntary actions/blinks/whatever -- when they lie, quickly discerns that there's a lot of lying going on, actually. On a ship where everyone has to be brought aboard by family or staff, how could a killer get aboard, let alone mysteriously vanish? Even weirder, what happened to the dead woman's two suitcases she brought aboard? No identification? Why is Ben acting so sneaky? Could it be the ultra organized Caitlin, fearful another woman had caught the eye of the man she adored? Why weren't the cameras catching anything? Will Karla's mother, Lynn's observations be helpful or harmful? Who was.... oh, never mind. Enough teasers.
I have discovered that the authors whose work I most enjoy must not only serve up a good mystery/story, but well-rounded characters that I'd like to know. That is definitely true here. Not only that, Davis does a deft job of showing where their stories intertwine, usually while doing an equally deft job of catching new readers up on past events. You'll learn quickly why Karla's relationship with her mother is, well, still occasionally uneasy. You'll also get to know her cop sister, not to mention her police chief father, and best friend, one who happens to be the town coroner. My hunch is you'll like them all and all have a role to play in this mystery. They have each other's backs and care about those around them.
Heck, even feisty pooch Gucci makes several appearances, managing to send one suspect quivering with fear. Honest. Read the book. It's a mystery. It's a sweet romance. It's character driven. You even get to tour a gorgeous private yacht and get a gander at that horizon Davis describes for us in the beginning. This book is a winner. Read it. You'll even know what cynophobia and ranunculus are when you're done. Another plus for me, I learned something by reading it.
Thanks #ReaganDavis and #CarpeFilumPress for allowing me to enter Karla's fascinating world and hang out with her family and friends again. Looking forward to following the continued renovation of Bellflower estate, not to mention what's up with Lynn and Harry. And, loved the cover. Kudos to the designer. The colors work.
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