An enjoyable read, but I wish the story had focused more on the murder mystery and less on the romance. My bad; that romance angle was clearly mentioned in the book synopsis... I just hoped it would be minimal. The murder element was good, but not spectacular. OK book for cold, rainy nights.

There are really two stories here, that of the murder connected to a family owned business and that of the romance between Terry, the detective that is trying to solve the murder and June, the fashion journalist covering the human interest side that the family business. Both stories are interesting but I especially enjoyed the simple romance between two people who truly care for each other and enjoy being in each other's presence. Both the Terry and June are highly educated, witty, and willing to give each other as good as they get, while working together to brainstorm the murder of this respected business owner.

The murder of the honest, kindhearted, sportswear manufacturer hits the company hard, not only because this hardworking man was involved every bit of the business but because two of his adult children ran the business with him while his third adult child owned a trucking company that sometimes delivered goods for his dad. The majority of the workers at the business were young women from Cambodia, who could barely speak or understand English and who, by working at this low paying but honest job, could send money back to their home country, where that money was very important to their families.

June is further drawn into the murder case when she gets an anonymous call from a person who says she knows the identity of the murderer. She gets permission from her boss to pursue the story, knowing the story could break the boundaries of her usual fashion beat and become a big news story. Once she gets to know Terry and they develop a romantic relationship, Terry is willing to share information and even rely on June's thoughts about the crime, to help him figure out why the crime was committed and who may have committed the crime. Both parties are very aware that their relationship and their jobs could strain ethical boundaries but they are determined to keep things on the up and up while not letting their professional lives derail their feelings for each other.

This is not an action packed thriller but instead a slow buildup of a relationship and dissection of a murder case. Added into the mix is the Cambodian element of with factory workers, living together in community homes but with many of them hoping to learn as much of the American way as possible. Thank you to Global Authors Publishers and NetGalley for this Advanced Read Copy.

This story has a somewhat different flow and rather long timeline compared to many other mysteries, but it works! The length of chapters is also a little strange, with huge variation, but it's logical with a change of perspective.
Good plot, good story, good characters, and the best part of the book is all the witty dialogue.