Murder Among the Pines

This is a new author to me ... and one I would like to continue reading. MURDER AMONG THE PINES is a short read ... less than 200 pages, so it makes a great beach read.

Detective Maxine Benson enjoys living in this small community. It's a nice place filled with likeable residents. Until today, she has had no complaints. Today her personal life has collided with her professional one.

Her ex-husband shows up with a new "piece of fluff" ... a woman very much younger than him, a bleached blonde with a figure that just won't quit and a ton of jewelry. She's not too concerned since her ex was a habitual cheater during their marriage.

Her hoping he leaves by the end of the weekend falls by the wayside when the body of a young woman is found floating in the lake. No surprise that it's 'fluff' and her ex is the number one prime suspect. The big boys take over the case and she is to no longer be currently investigating.

As I said, this is a short read, but very entertaining. Maxine is a fun character, she knows her weaknesses, but she also knows her strengths. When the big boys do take over, it's like they pat the little lady on the head and tell her to resume her knitting. Maxine is nothing if not stubborn and she handily rebels. Her colleague is a hoot. No less dedicated than Maxine, he loves card tricks.. which plays quite a role in this story.

It's a well-written crime mystery, I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Many thanks to the author / Orca Book Publishers / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.