Author: Jasmine Webb
Narrator: Khristine Hvam
Publisher: Blueberry Books
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Most people flee to Hawaii for gorgeous weather, white-sand beaches, and cocktails at sunset. Charlotte Gibson, however, is fleeing for her life after a vengeful mobster leaves a severed finger on her doorstep as a warning. Message very much received.
That’s how Charlotte—Charlie to everyone except her mom— finds herself on Maui with six dollars to her name, living with a mother who can’t stop giving her advice on how to land herself a husband. But when a businessman is murdered and his company offers a reward to whoever finds the killer, Charlie sees an opportunity: with that kind of cash, she could afford her own place and start a new life here away from the people who want her dead. After all, how hard can hunting down a murderer be?
Teaming up with a couple of old ladies with more spunk than Betty White, Charlie is sure she’s on the right track to snag the reward money. However, the infuriating but smoldering hot cop trying to keep her away from his case has other ideas. Throw in a day job at an ice cream shop, corrupt local politicians, and a best friend trying to act as the voice of reason, and Charlie has her work cut out for her.
Will she be able to find the killer, or is Charlie’s time in paradise going to go straight to hell in a handbasket?
My Thoughts: Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this first installment of a series that takes place in Maui and features some interesting characters. Charlotte Gibson is returning home to Hawaii after she runs afoul of some gangsters in Seattle. Leaving a severed finger on your doorstep leaves a very strong message to beat feet and Charlie hears it loud and clear. Unfortunately, returning to Hawaii without a way to support herself means living with her meddling mother, but Charlie also gets to reconnect with her best friend from high school, Zoe, who is now a doctor. Charlie lands a job at the local ice cream parlor and when one of her customers is later found murdered, the entire town is on edge.
Charlie decides to investigate the murder to win the substantial reward of $100,000, which would get her mother out of her hair and give Charlie some much wanted breathing room and the independence of having her own place. Unfortunately for Charlie, she isn’t the only one looking into the case and two elderly women, Dot and Rosie, join forces with Charlie and agree to split the reward. I loved Dot and Rosie. These women have seen it all and probably done it all and are living their best lives. They are feisty and blunt and with Charlie make a great team. There are currently fifteen books in this series so I would not be surprised if these three decide to open a private investigation firm at some point since they work so well together.
This story flowed very well and it was easy to get to know the characters. The audio narration, performed by Khristine Hvam was also done well and provided an excellent visual in my mind as I listened.
I’m sure the situation Charlie ran from in Seattle will make its presence known in Hawaii at some point. There is also some chemistry between Charlie and one of the detectives so it will be interesting to see where this all leads. I also want to learn more about Dot and Rosie as these two women are full of unexpected surprises.
My Final Verdict: This series has piqued my curiosity and I will be looking for more of this author’s work. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries and stories with feisty characters who tell it like it is.
Thank you to the publisher, Blueberry Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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