Book Review: Lost Luggage by Wendall Thomas (Cyd Redondo #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery

Cons: Book takes a bit of time to get started

The Bottom Line:

Dreaming of a trip

That then goes horribly wrong

Fun, twisty story

Cyd’s Dream Vacation Turns Into a Nightmare

Obviously, I don’t get to all the books I want to read as soon as they are released.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day.  It doesn’t help when a book crosses my radar a month or two after it has been released.  That was the case with Lost Luggage.  I was immediately intrigued, and the nominations for best first mystery it has received have helped keep my interest peaked.

This new series features Cyd Redondo, an expert travel agent in her uncle’s agency.  She is a master at working the system to get fabulous vacations for their clients for an amazing price.  There’s just one catch – she’s hardly traveled outside her neighborhood in New York.

But that is going to change when she is offered a promotion where she could win a trip for two to Africa if she sells enough tours.  Never mind that she doesn’t know who her plus one might be – she is determined to win.  Plus, it will give her a chance to check up on some of their guests in person, right?

Only, when she lands she learns that one couple is in jail.  And there seems to be an epidemic of lost luggage.  What is really going on?

The book gets off to a bit of a slow start.  Yes, it is at least partially set up, and we need it for what comes later.  However, since we know where the book is going, I was impatient for it to actually get there.

Once it did get going, it was a non-stop ride I didn’t want to put down.  Cyd is in a strange country with no idea who she can trust.  What’s not to love about that?  The twists were strong, and I didn’t see most of them coming.  I couldn’t imagine how she was going to get out of the situations she was in alive.

And the book is funny.  Cyd finds herself in some pretty funny situations, and her resourcefulness just adds to the fun.  I can’t imagine not only surviving but thriving in the situations she found herself in.  Instead, all I could do was laugh.

Obviously, I loved Cyd as a main character, but she is surrounded by some other strong characters.  We didn’t get to see most of them for very long, but the ones we did get to see were believable.

The book has just enough language, sex, and violence to not fit the cozy sub-genre that I normally read.  Some of that violence is against animals done by the bad guys; it’s mostly kept to two scenes you can easily skim through and it is vital to the plot.  Just keep that in mind when you pick up the book.

I know summer is winding down, but if you aren’t ready for it to end, here’s a perfect chance to go on another vacation.  Lost Luggage will make you thankful you aren’t on this particular trip while leaving you with a smile on your face.

Pack your bags for more trips with Cyd Redondo.