Book Review: Fair Game by Annette Dashofy (Zoe Chambers Mysteries #8)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and a fast-moving plot

Cons: I’m not playing games – no cons here

The Bottom Line:

Murder and the fair

Keeps readers entertained here

Series going strong

Murder is Never Fair Game

At one point this year, I had hoped to read two books in the Zoe Chambers Mysteries in an effort to get caught up on the series.  Based on what the next few months are looking like, I am doubting that this will happen.  But I’m very glad I worked in Fair Game, the eighth book in the series.

If you haven’t yet met Zoe, she is a paramedic and deputy coroner for Monongahela County in Pennsylvania.  She also happens to be in a relationship with Pete Adams, the chief of police for Vance Township.  Between the two, Zoe finds herself involved in some twisty cases.

While Zoe’s name is on the series, she and Pete really are equal characters.  We spend pretty much equal time in their third person points of view.  This is always used perfectly to increase the suspense as the book progresses.

And it’s Pete that really kicks off this story.  He gets a call about an abandoned car in the parking lot of a restaurant.  The waitress who calls it in knows who owns the car, and she says the woman was in the night before drunk.  Pete’s bad feeling is confirmed when the woman turns up dead.  But her family and friends insist she would never have more than a glass of wine.  So what happened to her?

Meanwhile, Zoe has been talked into spending the week at the county fair, showing her horse and manning the ambulance.  Spending time there brings back memories or time spent at the fair as a teen in 4H – for better or worse as some of the people from that time come back into her life.  Pete’s case keeps bringing him to the fair.  How are the people Zoe knows connected to what happened to the woman whose death Pete is investigating?

I had an inkling about a plot point that happened later in the book before I picked this one up.  Usually, when that happens, I find myself impatient waiting for the book to catch up to what I know.  That was not the case here.  Instead, I was hooked on the story as it unfolded.  Zoe’s scenes don’t appear to have much related to the plot at first, but it isn’t long before we start seeing how things are going to come together.  And then, it’s off to the races as we wait to see just what is going on.  As always, the plotting is fabulous, and things build to a satisfying climax.

In the last couple of books, I’ve complained about Pete and how much of a jerk he can be to Zoe.  I’m very happy to say that I didn’t find that to be the case in this book at all.  Yes, they have an issue to work out in their relationship, but both of them come across well here.

Of course, the rest of the cast is great.  We get to spend some time with various supporting characters, which is always fun.  The new characters are just as real, which is important to drawing us into the story.

In fact, as I was reading, I realized one reason I love this series.  Even with all the murder and some rather dark events, these books are about community.  Zoe especially, but many of the rest of the characters, do their best to help out those around them, trying to keep them from going down bad paths.  I love that.

Yes, these books are definitely a shade darker than the cozies I typically read.  That includes a bit more violence and language.  Still, none of this is excessive, so as long as you know this going into the book, you’ll be fine.

Fair Game is another great entry in this series.  If you are looking for a fast-moving plot and characters you’ll love, you’ll want to pick up these books today.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Zoe Chambers Mysteries.