ISBN: 978-1894917339
This is the fifth and apparently final book in the Belle Palmer series, which takes place in the nickel-mining community of Sudbury, Ontario, where Belle is a real estate agent. No sooner does she unexpectedly reconnect with an old heartthrob, Gary Myers [the school valedictorian with whom she went to the prom, or the “grad dance” as it’s apparently called in Canada], than his body is discovered in an isolated area, apparently the victim of an accidental drowning. His partner of several years, a murder-mystery author disconcertingly nicknamed “Mutt,” joins Belle in going over the research the zoologist was doing, and some disquieting clues present themselves.After a burglary at the house where Gary had been staying and some suspicious findings from his wilderness studies, it appears that there is more to his death than at first met the eye, and Belle becomes the target of someone who wishes her ill. The question is whether it is connected with an environmental report she made that could put someone is jail, or if it is related to her investigation into Gary’s death.
“Cute” names abound in the book [something upon which the author comments]: Belle hires an assistant with a gambling habit nicknamed “Yoyo” – for Yolanda – whose mother is named Coco –both a bit quirky but charming. The book exudes a wonderful sense of place – I could see the beauty of the lakes and feel the sting of the early season insects that swarm periodically and with great intensity, as well as the flora and fauna of the forests of the North, in the process learning the names of more growing things than I knew existed. A very pleasant read.
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Gloria Feit