FATAL FALL: A Lori Reynolds Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (September 28, 2017)
Paperback: 220 pages

Lori Reynolds thought she’d never return to the home where she spent her teenage years, but her sister Kay’s death from a fall down a staircase, changes all that. Having recently spoken with her sister on the phone, and knowing how worried Kay had been about all the strange things happening in her house, Lori suspects that her sister’s fall was anything but an accident and she resolves to investigate. Now that she has arrived for Kay’s funeral, she is caught up in the very family battles that she had tried to avoid when she left seven years ago. From Kay’s husband, Trevor, to his daughter from a previous marriage, Selena, to Lori’s first love and now Selena’s husband, Marc, to Trevor’s brother, Derek, to Selena’s grandmother, to Trevor and Kay’s daughter, Amber, the tension runs high. Then it really explodes when Trevor’s first wife, Jocelyn, decides to make an appearance. Did any of these family members have a motive strong enough to kill Kay? And if so, what was it? Kay moves closer and closer to the truth behind her sister’s fatal fall.

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Review

Lori is shocked to learn her sister has died from a fall in her home. She knows Kay better than that and immediately assumes someone has killed her. So she heads from Dallas back to where she grew up to uncover what really happened.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their motivations, trying to figure out what secrets different people were hiding and imagining being on a beach when it is cold where I live right now! On the flip side, I don’t know that I liked Lori. She was very pushy, pushier than I would have expected, in trying to uncover the truth. I guess I would never have assumed that someone was murdered right off the bat. But her persistence is what uncovers the truth about Kay’s death and what other secrets the family is hiding.

I was quite surprised at the turn of events at the end. Sure I knew some people did not have sterling characters but the depth of their malicious intents was not expected. Lori was lucky to be alive at the end! I expected some of the characters to be involved in the tragedies, but there were a few surprises. Looking back, however, perhaps it should not have been as big of a surprise.

There is a little romance with Lori’s former beau, Marc, but not until the very end because Marc is married to Selena, Lori’s stepsister. That is a complicated situation and considering how Selena is portrayed, I’m surprised that Marc was still married to her.

We give it 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Teresa LaRue grew up in a small town along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She’s worked as a secretary, assistant manager of an audio book store, and manager of a fashion jewelry store. She is an avid reader, gardener, and movie buff. She lives across the lake from New Orleans with her family, including a dog named Bones, and a cat named Chloe.

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