Great idea and concept for a book. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended. .

The mystery was interesting although I found the characters and setting a little irritating, to be honest.

This action packed read had romance, mystery and a lot of quirky characters. It was fun read, full of ghosts, Southern charm, and holiday spirit, being set at Christmas time. Liz and her soon-to-be-husband are private investigators who get caught up in the mystery Liz's best friend and maid of honor Olivia stumbles upon, literally. Olivia insists she saw a dead body in the house she owns with her elderly aunt, a house that is a well-disguised house of ill repute. Because Liz can see ghosts, she gets a little extra help in solving the mystery and the book ends with all sorted and a surprise guest for the groom at the Christmas wedding. Fourth in a series.

I am really enjoying this series. Liz and Nate are finally getting married. It is going to be a Christmas wedding and they are finishing up their last case before the big event when Liz gets a call from Olivia. When Olivia, in tears, says she needs Liz right away, she heads off to Charleston to see what is the matter. Arriving at Olivia's great aunt Dean's house, she is told that Olivia's husband is dead inside the house. When they enter, there is no body, no blood and the room is fine. Is Olivia going crazy or is there a mystery here.

Liz is smart, dedicated, and funny, even while dealing with her uptight wedding planner, her mother and trying to help Olivia out. The house is a high-end bordello and it turns out that Olivia is a half owner. Nate is very present in this book and it is nice to see him play such a huge part. Nate is a true partner in the story, both in the business and as a support to Liz as her future husband. The wedding plans kept interrupting the investigation which reminded us that Liz and Nate are working hard to have somewhat of a normal life. Once again her family are there to support and help her wherever they can. Sonny, her contact in the Charleston PD showed another side as well. He got quite upset with Liz and went behind her at one point. Nice to see he is not a total pushover.

The murder mystery was cleverly plotted, as were how the bordello was started and how it was run by the great aunt. It was an interesting premise based on how expensive these older homes are to maintain. The ending was fantastic. It was totally plausible and the facts in the story backed it up, but did not totally give it away while reading. It is nice that she is able to pull off the supernatural bits with Colleen's presence. I love that Liz is finally going to be able to tell Nate about her spirit friend. Another wonderful addition to the Liz Talbot Mystery Series. I am ready to start on the next one.

Lowcountry Bordello (Liz Talbot Mysteries #4)
by Susan M. Boyer (Goodreads Author)
Paperback, First, 272 pages
Published November 3rd 2015 by Henery Press

Goodreads synopsis:
The Charleston streets are dressed for the holidays in sophisticated Southern style: topiaries adorned with red ribbons, garland entwined with white lights, and poinsettias potted in gold planters. The high class bordello in a stately historic home is certainly no exception. When Private Investigator Liz Talbot’s dear friend Olivia swears she saw a dead body in the parlor of this bordello, one Olivia accidentally co-owns, Liz promptly comes to her aid. 
With her wedding back home on Stella Maris less than a week away, Liz must juggle one elderly madam, two ex and future in-laws, three ghosts in the bordello, four giddy bridesmaids, five lovely courtesans, six suspicious patrons…and a partridge in a pear tree as she tries to keep her bridesmaid out of jail and live to walk down the aisle.

***

4 stars

This is the fourth book in the Liz Talbot Mysteries series.

This mystery centers around an old house. I picture a vintage Victorian. Really classy but falling apart. It is really close to Liz’s wedding and one of her bridesmaids, Olivia, owns half of this building with another lady. Olivia stumbles across a dead body. And of course, she calls Liz to come investigate instead of the police because of … reasons.

Liz uncovers the mysterious nature of this house and its multitude of residents. The lady who runs it calls it a boarding house but it is looking more and more to Liz like a bordello.

This was a great read. It catches you and hangs on. But the end seemed to be a bit easily wrapped up. The rest of the book was great, though. Just one niggle from me.

Definitely check this one out if you love a good mystery.


I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.