Arriving at work early one morning, Emma discovers the body of the school custodian, a man who reminds her of her late father. When the police struggle to find the killer, the ladies decide to help solve the murder. Their efforts lead them to a myriad of suspects: the schizophrenic librarian, the crude football coach, the mysterious social studies teacher, and even Emma’s new love interest.
As Emma Lovett discovers the perils of teaching high school, she and Leslie learn more than they ever wanted to know about the reasons people kill. (Pub Date: Feb 23, 2016)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by the author. Many thanks for this opportunity.
This was my second book by this author but it is an earlier work, so I got to feel how much she’s evolved ever since.
Emma is starting her career as a teacher far away from home but she’s barely debuted there and she’s already found a body. Melvin, the kind custodian who had reminded her of her lat beloved father. What could have caused it? When her mentor there and best friend tells her the police work isn’t anywhere near the best, the two step up to investigate by themselves.
I’m glad this wasn’t my first book from her, so I know she’s improved so much you wouldn’t believe it. The writing is prolix and the dialog doesn’t flow well. I confess it all got me frowning too many times. The manuscript definitely lacked some more thorough edition.
Once I got used to all that, it wasn’t hard to see this book’s worth. This book is about investigations and the mystery behind the crime was actually intriguing. I think the most important here was that the writer managed to make me like the victim (and I emphasized a little much with poor Melvin, to the point that even though he dies in the first chapter I went “Oh no”). Another element, and this is a little too personal, is that Emma is a teacher. I’m a university teacher, but a few of her experiences were surely relatable, especially since my first time in a classroom was only four years ago, so enough to remember well. Also, I kind of wish I had a mentor like Leslie. Such great advices I wish I had had back when I started!
The building up and the conclusion were also nice. Unfortunately, the writing did need lots of cleaning, but it was a good story, which is much more worth it than having the best edition for a plot full of holes.
The second in this series is already out and I’ll surely read it!
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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