Gemini Rising (Mischievous Malamute Mystery Series #1)
Author: Harley Christensen
3.5 out of 5 Stars
When Arianna Jackson, AJ, rushes outside early one morning to put her trash out, she’s astonished to find the dead body of a woman. The next day, the detective tells her something even more shocking. The dead woman was her identical twin sister. They had been separated as newborns and adopted by different families. Her deceased sister, Victoria, had discovered she was adopted after her parents’ deaths. With help from a pair of private investigators, she was able to track down AJ who’s parents had also recently died. Victoria was on her way to see AJ when she was murdered. From the PIs, AJ learns that Victoria thought their parents deaths were not accidents, and may have even been related to the deaths of their birth parents.
The mystery was intriguing. I quickly had a list of questions about what was going on and how everything connected. The writing had a good flow, and there was a good suspenseful build up after a character is abducted and the others go to their rescue. One thing did annoy me, but I have to be vague to avoid spoiling the twist. AJ and Leah find out what AJ’s birth parents were involved in and how it connects to AJ and her sister’s birth. But despite there being very clear hints that they should easily figure out, neither of them do. And it didn’t contribute anything to the plot to have them not realize it.
I liked AJ and her interactions with Leah. They’ve been friends since they were 6, and this is easy to see in how they interact. I liked the rest of the characters, however, the fast friendships after just one meeting between the characters felt forced. One conversation and suddenly they’re great friends. One time I could look past, but it happens with everyone. It was just unrealistic.
Despite the negatives, I did enjoy this book, so I’m rating it 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you like mysteries with a bit of a sci-fi twist, then you should check this one out.
Price through Amazon Kindle: $0
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9FTM3C
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)