I love rom-coms and locked-room mystery books, so a book that combines both seemed like the perfect combination. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations.
The book follows bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, who is invited to her ex-fiancé's wedding who also happens to be her editor at Simon Says Publishing. The wedding is set to take place on a historic private island estate off the coast of Seattle. On the boat ride to the island, another ex, Jack Hawkins, a former surfer from Australia and her co-author of their adventure series, shows up, mistakenly invited as her plus-one.
Once there, anything that can go wrong does, starting with a dinner reception gone awry and ending with a body on the steps of the basement. When life begins to imitate one of her books, Kate steps into the shoes of Loretta, her series heroine, and takes it upon herself to solve the mystery in the middle of a storm that cuts off access to the island and other odd occurrences.
On the surface, the book has all the ingredients for a great story: hidden passages, family drama, intrigue, steamy scenes, second-chance romance, and murder. However, the flavor felt a bit muddled for me due to the slow pacing, detailed backstories, and info-dumps in the early chapters.
The book also includes excerpts from Loretta’s novels as Kate imagines what Loretta would do in certain situations. Initially, it was confusing when the text shifted between Kate’s and Loretta’s perspectives without a clear break. I get why Kate put herself in Loretta’s shoes, but after a while, the Loretta sections became irritating. Additionally, the steamy scenes during the murder investigation felt slightly out of place for me and further slowed the pace, though other readers might enjoy this blend of romance and mystery.
The plot could have used some tightening, which I think would have made it a more engaging read. That being said, I did enjoy the book, particularly the final third. I didn’t guess who the murderer was and really liked the setting. The humor, character interactions, and twists kept me entertained. The parallels between the plots of Kate’s novels and the mystery were a nice touch, and the sleuthing sweater Kate wore endeared her to me. Therefore, I decided to rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to fans of both romance and mystery genres, especially those who appreciate a quirky mix of both and don't mind a slower pace or steamy episodes thrown in amidst the action.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* For more info about the book: "She Doesn't Have a Clue" by Jenny Elder Moke
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