Book Review: Second to Nun by Alice Loweecey (Giulia Falcone-Driscoll #5)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mystery, characters, humor

Cons: Pacing issues

The Bottom Line:

A ghost at the inn?

Giulia investigates

In fun mystery

Mystery of the Haunted Bed and Breakfast

It’s taken me longer than I planned to get to Second to Nun.  After reading and enjoying the first Giulia Driscoll Mystery, I decided to backtrack and read the earlier series about Giulia, ex-nun turned private investigator.  But now I am back, and I am thrilled to say it was worth the wait.

Giulia’s newest client is MacAllister Stone, aka Mac.  Mac runs a bed and breakfast in her family’s old non-working lighthouse on a nearby lake.  Lately, something sinister seems to be at work at the bed and breakfast.  Mac is wondering if someone in particular is behind it, or if the legend she tells of the family ghost isn’t a legend after all.

Giulia and her husband, Frank, go undercover as guests of the inn.  But this job is turning out to be rougher than it sounds as the strange events seem to be increasing in frequency.  Before Giulia finds the culprit, she will have to determine if she is looking for a ghost or a flesh and blood villain.

The book actually starts off with Giulia trying to wrap up a couple of smaller cases before she sets off to the bed and breakfast.  That gives us a chance to spend a little time with the rest of her staff, which I enjoyed, but it did feel like it was slowing down the start of the real mystery.  Once Giulia arrives at the inn, the pace does pick up as we start to meet the suspects and events start to happen.  Everything led up to a logical and suspenseful climax.

The characters are wonderful.  It’s hard to complain about the slower start since I love Zane and Sydney, the other two employees of Driscoll Investigations.  Frank is a fantastic character as well, and I loved getting to spend so much time with him in this book.  The new characters became stronger the more we spent time with them, and I enjoyed their company as well.

But what really makes this series fun is the humor.  Giulia and the rest of the regulars have a lot of fun joking around and teasing each other, which is part of what makes their relationships seem so wonderful.  I was smiling if not outright laughing through much of the book.

This book does have a smattering of foul languages, including some four-letter words.  It isn’t much, but it is more than in books I normally recommend, so keep that in mind as you read.

If you are looking for a getaway, Second to Nun is the perfect book to pick up.  It’s a fun read that will leave you anxious for more of Giulia’s adventures.

Read one, and you’ll be back for the rest of Giulia’s adventures.