Dead-End Detective: A Piper & Porter Mystery by Amanda Flower

    There are times when my brain refuses to concentrate on anything hard or serious.  No deep analysis of feelings or situations.  All it can handle is something light and fun.  In times like this, all I can do is turn to cozy mysteries.  They are always just what I need.

    Darby Piper is surprised when her business partner, Samantha Porter, tells her she is using her 60% ownership power to close their private investigator business and work at a nearby resort.  In fact, the declaration doesn’t even make sense.  Samantha is a dedicated PI.  There is no reason for her to want to close the business.  Especially when it would leave Darby both jobless and homeless.

    With the possibility of losing all she has worked for hanging over her head, it is understandable Darby is upset about the position Samantha has put her in.  But the distress is nothing compared to what she feels when she hears Samantha has died in a car accident.

    Immediately, Darby knows something isn’t right with what the police are telling her.  Knowing Samantha as she does, the way Samantha died could not have been an accident.  It had to be murder.

    The police don’t fully believe the accident theory either.  They also believe Samantha could have been murdered, and that Darby is the culprit.  All evidence points to her.  Even her car, which Darby discovers has been stolen, appears to be a match for the one that ran Samantha off the road. 

    With the evidence piling up against her, Darby could easily be put in jail.  Only, thankfully, the officer in charge of the investigation is Austin Caster, Darby’s ex-boyfriend.  That truly may be the only thing saving her.

    Of course, as a PI herself, Darby is going to look into Samantha’s death.  She plans on doing this alone, but Samantha’s nephew, Tate Porter, insists on helping.  They work together, even though neither one is fully convinced the other is innocent.

    Tate has been away in the Army for years.  Afterwards, he traveled around the world.  Now he is suddenly in town.  Darby finds this suspicious since the day Tate showed up, out of the blue, was the very same day Samantha was killed.

    In the meantime, Tate finds Darby suspicious because he thinks she knows more about what happened to Samantha than she is saying.

    Then there is the matter of Samantha’s will.  A document which gives both Darby and Tate motive to kill.

    Despite their distrust, Darby and Tate continue with their investigation.  One place it keeps taking them to is the Lake Waters Retreat; the resort where Samantha was supposed to become head of security.  Her father held the same position there years ago, and Darby has to wonder if something about her father’s death is why Samantha decided to take the job.

    Even though clues keep leading back to the Lake Waters Retreat, it is not the only place to look for suspects.  There are also Samantha’s clients to look into, as well as her ex-boyfriend, Logan Montgomery.  With Samantha genuinely well-liked, it is hard to know which direction to turn.

The Tallest Tree/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

    This is only the first book in the series, but I can tell there are some fun characters who could become even more fun as the series goes on.  I like both Darby and Tate.  It is obvious a romance is blossoming between them.  Although, with Austin around, not liking what he is seeing, there could be a hitch in that romance.

    Darby’s best friend, Maelynn, and her husband, Justin, I really like too.  They own a coffee shop and are very loyal to Darby.  Maelynn is so loyal she gives Austin decaffeinated coffee in revenge for how he has treated Darby in the past.                                               

    Another good character is Mrs. Berger.  She is a ninety-year-old resident of the town, who keeps having Darby get her cat, Romy, out of a tree.  She is a feisty woman who doesn’t let anyone push her around.  Not even the people pressuring her to sell her house.

    As for family, Darby’s isn’t in the book much, and Tate doesn’t have any left now that Samantha has died.  The little time we do get with Darby’s family isn’t bad.  Her mother is on the overbearing side, but she cares.  Her sister DeeDee tends to say whatever is on her mind, which is not always helpful but can be amusing.  Then there is Darby’s father, who is gentle and thoughtful.  Sadly, he is also battling an illness.

    With Dead-End Detective being the first book in a new series, I am excited to see how the characters grow as the series goes on.  I’m assuming and hoping there are future books.  As private investigators, Darby and Tate’s cases could lead them to all sorts of mysteries, and in all sorts of directions.