Chloe Cook lives in the small tourist town of Cape Cod. No, really, that's the name of the town. We are given no clue as to where this town is, and I suspect the author attended a school system which did not use "here's some paper; draw me a map of X" as a standard form of busywork when a structural malfunction made it necessary to move kids out of their regular classrooms into a larger shared space. (Really. There was a time when I could produce on demand a map of the then-current countries of Africa. Not a perfect work of cartography, but recognizable.)
Be that as it may, Chloe is a makeup salesperson and amateur sleuth in her little town. Her initially rocky relationship with the local police detective, Todd Thicke, has gone from antagonistic to friendly and even cooperative. But not this time. The detective has arrested Chloe's good friend, Jennifer, for murder of her boyfriend, after finding her standing over the body. The evidence is hard to argue with, but Chloe is sure her friend is innocent.
She's determined to prove it, and after pumping her friend for a list of people who might have wanted to kill Richard, she sets out to look for evidence. Imagine her surprise and concern when, going for a look at the area around Richard's house (since she can't go in), she finds Darlene, one of her suspects, also checking out the place. Darlene is the woman Jennifer says Richard was cheating on her with. Darlene claims that, like Chloe, she's determined to find the killer, and isn't willing to trust the police to do it. She suggests they work together. Suspicious, but seeing advantages in keeping a close eye on one of her best suspects.
This turns out to be a useful but dangerous tactic.
It's interesting and fun, and I liked the fact that Thicke, even being sure that this time Chloe is wrong, is more concerned about her running into danger if she's right, rather than lecturing her about not interfering in his investigation.
Recommended for a short, light read or listen.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
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