Wanderlust: A Van Life Mystery (Van Life Mystery Series #2)
Author: Jeramy Gates
4.5 out of 5 stars
Amanda is thrilled to finally be at Yellowstone National Park, which she’ll document for her successful YouTube channel. However, she doesn’t expect to find a body in the lake near her campground on her first morning. When Amanda was eight years old her older sister was murdered, and the killer was never caught. After years of suppressing her feelings, she began having panic and anxiety attacks which sent her on the road and away from the stress of her high-powered job and life in the city. Now she’s reminded of her sister’s murder and is determined to help the victim’s family find justice. Helping her is fellow traveler and mystery writer Peggy, and Erik, a handsome campground worker who she has an instant connection with. Will they be able to solve the crime, or will corruption and greed cover everything up first?
Our introduction to Amanda and Peggy definitely grabs the reader’s attention. The first chapter is a prologue, but the second chapter opens with Peggy swerving to make sure she misses Peggy, who is walking on the side of the road after her truck ran out of gas. Amanda and Peggy immediately get along well with each other. There were some really great descriptions in this book. I particularly liked the nature ones, which were very detailed.
Amanda is a very sympathetic character with her struggles with anxiety and PTSD from her sister’s death, which also led to her parent’s divorce. However, she doesn’t let it stop her. Peggy is a fun character. She’s a mystery writer, and I got the sense that she enjoyed being a part of a real life mystery. Erik dreams of leaving Wyoming and traveling. He’s a hard worker and very handy as he does a lot of stuff around the campground. Amanda tells Peggy and Erik about her sister’s murder less than two days after meeting them, which is a bit unrealistic. However, the author wrote it really well, and it was made obvious that Amanda had connected with them both and felt comfortable with them.
There was only one real negative, and even then it is more personal preference. A few times there are mentions of something, like perfume and food, that the character buys being all natural and free of chemicals and fillers. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, but the way it comes across in the story is a bit heavy-handed overly focused on it. But other readers may feel differently.
Overall, I liked this book, so I rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is part of a series, but is a standalone story. There is an equal amount of focus between the mystery and Amanda and Erik’s romance, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a pure mystery and aren’t interested in a romantic side plot.
Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C44CZFYW
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)