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| image copied from NetGalley |
Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox is the first in a new mystery series. This is the second novel by the author that I've read, and I loved this one even more than that book. Definitely Maybe Not a Detective is engaging with a full cast of eccentric yet mostly lovable characters. Emersyn Gray is struggling to make ends meet while raising her niece. Fired from yet another job after being laid off from her previous one due to budget cuts, she's unsure how to get her life back on track and keep her parents from taking away her guardianship for niece, Livy. To help, Emersyn's best friend Jemma concocts a scheme to help her recover the savings Em's ex-boyfriend, Hoffman, stole from her. Their plan is to threaten Hoffman with being investigated by a private detective if he doesn't return her stolen money. But the Wyatt Investigation Agency is all made up. That is until a real-life Wyatt turns up at Emersyn's apartment complex to return her lost phone the same day the super of her building is murdered. When Emersyn's elderly neighbor turns out to be the prime suspect she finds herself teaming up with Wyatt to investigate a real murder even though she has no idea where to even begin.
The banter and heat between Emersyn and Wyatt, coupled with her attempts to solve the murder to clear her neighbor's good name was funny and intriguing. Wyatt is as much a man of mystery as the fictitious PI he's pretending to be. Emersyn is leery of getting involved with any more men after her last disastrous relationship. But Wyatt's kindness and determination to help her, make it hard to keep to her no-dating vow. The side characters in the mostly senior living apartment complex were interesting and sometimes over the top, but in a good way. One scene where they help Emersyn follow a lead was particularly amusing. The relationship between Emersyn and her niece added stakes and a tender emotional element to the story that kept me rooting for Emersyn to succeed even when her avoidance at accepting Wyatt's help in the investigation at times, made me frustrated. I truly enjoyed this book and will happily read more adventures about Emersyn and Wyatt in this a series.
If you love mysteries full of unconventional characters, fun banter and slow-burn, low-spice romance then you'll thoroughly enjoy Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox! As always, click on the title to order your own copy from bookshop.org to support indie bookstores, or consider checking out a copy from your local library.
Next up for review will be The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. It's a middle grade historical mystery full of spies, intrigue and smart, intrepid characters. Check out the cover and blurb below, both copied from bookshop.org.
Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amid one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.
The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues that unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?
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