I like this is the first in the series but the story is not about the main character making a few life changing decisions (or they are made for her) and she starts a new life. The life changing events happened a few years before the story starts. The MC has even met the detective in charge already.

My likes stopped soon after that. The police detective told Vivian to “butt out” when she advised her friend to have a lawyer present during questioning - which could possibly be considered denying a suspect access to legal counsel. Bad form if the police do that. Then Vivian claims she knows how to go about an investigation because she’s “read enough mystery novels.”

Cozy mysteries are a poor choice when it comes to crime investigation text books.

Badly plotted stories, however, can have a certain entertainment value. (If not in the actual story, then at least in writing a fitting review.) Which is reason enough to read on. I had to put this book aside often, though, to be able to deal with the stupid.

The story is told mostly in close third person from Vivian’s point of view, and some of it in close third person from detective Messina’s POV. This rarely works well in women’s fiction. The men are already idiots from the woman’s perspective. They’re even bigger idiots when they get their own perspective. As is the case here.

Messina is convinced the most logical explanation for a man to be killed is to be killed by his ex-wife. In a jealous rage. While the victim is described as muscular. It would have been his sole line of investigation had there not been something about the woman. Ugh.

I might have been able to accept his questioning of Jenna in regard to killing her ex-husband if there had been any evidence other than that she was seen at the hotel where her ex got killed. So were a dozen or so other people, I am sure. A few hours after the murder, the cop should still be open to all possibilities and question Jenna as a possible witness. As an ex-wife she might know about the sort of company he keeps and any illegal business he was involved in. But to assume a woman kills her ex because she’s jealous, when she did not kill him over the affairs he had during their marriage, that takes some suspension of disbelieve on my part.

Yet, there is a reporter that buys into the same story. For real? I thought the whole point of a crime reporter was to question the official reading. If they repeat the police’s story they are spokespersons, not journalists.

*facepalm*

Anyway, when the professionals are clearly incompetent, it’s no wonder the amateurs - Vivian and her employees - set out to investigate the murder of Dean themselves and to clear Jenna’s name.

I’m not much impressed by the way Vivian, Jenna and Gracie go about their investigation. Vivian’s style is confrontational to say the least (and none of the people she confronts should be playing poker). Very unlikely I will pick up another in this series.