Christmas Coroner (Fenway Stevenson Mysteries series)
Author: Paul Austin Ardoin
3.5 out of 5 stars
Coroner Fenway Stevenson and Sheriff Craig McVie investigate the murder of Victoria Versini. A food blogger and critic from LA, Victoria was I town to co-host the town’s Christmas Parade. Instead, someone shoots her three days before Christmas. As Fenway and McVie investigate, they learn that despite her large social media following, she has many enemies in the area. Fenway also has to deal with hr own personal problems, including her father being in a coma and her romantic relationship with McVie.
I liked the characters, and in general, they were all well written. Fenway’s feelings about her father’s coma and it being her first Christmas since her mother’s death make her a very sympathetic character. She and McVie have a good relationship, and McVie is supportive and understanding when Fenway is unsure about making their relationship more serious.
The mystery was intriguing and had some good twists. And the breakthrough came from an unexpected source. However, there were some mistakes in the investigation. The biggest one is when Fenway says she doesn’t know if Victoria’s friends, who loaned her the cabin she was staying in, have a gun. However, she did ask and was told that they kept a gun in the cabin. There were also a few smaller mistakes, like a character not knowing something even though they were in the room when it was discussed. I don’t know if it was on purpose or an accident by the author, but it lowered my opinion of the characters since it should have been noticed and noted.
That was the only negative in this book, but it was a big negative. It was otherwise well-written, though, so I’m rating it 3.5 out of 5 stars. This is part of a series, but if you’re just looking for a Christmas time mystery,enough background is given that it can be read as a stand alone story.
Price through Amazon Kindle: $0.99
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7KK76K
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)