Bonfire Body
I was debating between several books to pick up recently, but when I discovered that On the Lamb took place in the weeks before Easter, I knew I had my next book. I always get a kick out of reading a book around the time of the year when it is set if I get a chance.
Spring is in the air in Ocean Crest, New Jersey, and with it, changes are coming. After nearly a year back in town, Lucy Berberian has decided to get her own place. She’s found the perfect apartment, near the beach but still walking distance to her family’s Mediterranean restaurant, which she is now managing. Her new landlady is a bit eccentric, but the worst part is dealing with her landlady’s nephew, Gilbert, who is determined to get his aunt into a retirement home so he can get his hands on the valuable piece of land.
Lucy and some friends take a rare Saturday night off to enjoy a bonfire on the beach. Everyone is having fun until they discover Gilbert’s body in the sand. Lucy’s friend Melanie becomes the prime suspect, and she begs Lucy to figure out what is going on. Can Lucy clear her friend?
It’s been a while since I read the third book in the series, but it didn’t take me long to feel at home once again in Ocean Crest. This is definitely the kind of place I’d love to visit in real life – I just love resort towns. I think I would enjoy a week or so here every year. Of course, I’d time my visits to avoid the murders.
Lucy quickly finds that Gilbert is hiding quite a few secrets, and those secrets point her to some viable suspects. I was kept guessing until Lucy figured everything out, and the climax was quite creative. I really did love it.
Meanwhile, it was fun to check in with the series regulars again. I’ll admit, I had forgotten where a few of the relationships were, including Lucy’s love life. Again, that wasn’t an issue for very long, and I was glad to see that many relationships are moving forward as the series progresses.
My biggest issue with the book was some logical issues that just didn’t work for me. Things like character ages in relation to each other, and some events happening on weekdays that I would expect on weekends. They aren’t deal breakers for me, especially since I could figure out how these things could have worked, but they did kick me out of the story occasionally.
The book ends with three delicious sounding recipes featuring items that Lucy and Azad, her boyfriend, prepare for the Easter dinner Lucy hosts.
Speaking of Easter, that fact that Easter is coming doesn’t play a huge part in the story. So you really can pick up the book any time and enjoy it.
It was nice to be back in Ocean Crest with On the Lamb. If you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in the series, you’ll want to see what happens next to Lucy and the gang.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Kebab Kitchen Mysteries.
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