I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this book. Looking at the title, I was expecting a Hallmark movie plot. While there is sufficient drama to satisfy any soap opera enthusiast, it is all integral to the story and to the mystery (and not annoying for us non-soap opera enthusiasts). It’s a thriller, it’s a drama, and it’s a great gothic story.
For Eve Dallas, dead bodies happen all the time. She’s well known for being the cop you want on the job when someone you know or love has been murdered. But it’s not often that the dead body happens as a result of an explosion that takes out executives from a major corporation. It’s even less common for another executive to be the person who is to blame for the explosion.
Hayley Snow is a food critic living in Key West, FL. In addition to her writing responsibilities at Key Zest Magazine, she has agreed to help her mother’s catering company. When she lands a big gig (the Havana/Key West Conference) it’s just what her mother’s fledgling business needs to boost her bookings.
Anna Johnson’s parents lost hope in life. First, her father committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. Then, not long after, her mother also jumped to her death in the exact same location. Everyone in the region knows exactly who they are and what happened. They all believe they know the story too. But Anna doesn’t believe her parents committed suicide. She’s sure that something else is amiss in the case. And this theory is supported when she begins receiving messages, notes and even threats from a mysterious source who is upset that she isn’t content to let the death of her parents just rest.
With the help of a mostly retired investigator, Anna begins looking at clues and pulling together seemingly random bits of information. Was it suicide? Was it murder? What if it was neither?
Hamish DeLuca has spent most of his life trying to hide the anxiety that appears at the most inopportune times — especially as a new lawyer. And when a corpse is discovered at the Flamingo, we learn there is a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots in 1937 Boston.