Low Country Bombshell | A Liz Talbot Mystery
Publication date: September 3, 2013
Trade Paperback $11.08 on Amazon | eBook not up yet for preorder
266 Pages
AUTHOR BIO
Susan M. Boyer’s debut novel, Lowcountry Boil (a Liz Talbot Mystery) is an Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense recipient, and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist. LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL, the second book in the Liz Talbot series, will be released September 3, 2013. LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD and LOWCOUNTRY BORDELLO will be released in May and October of 2014, respectively.
Susan’s short fiction has appeared in moonShine Review, Spinetingler Magazine, and Relief Journal, among others. She is the recipient of Relief Journal’s editor’s choice award in fiction and has been recognized by the Carrie McCrary Memorial Literary Awards program.
She and her husband live in Greenville, SC.
BLURB
Liz Talbot thinks she’s seen another ghost when she meets Calista McQueen. She’s the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe. Born precisely fifty years after the ill-fated star, Calista’s life has eerily mirrored the late starlet’s and she fears the looming anniversary of Marilyn’s death will also be hers.
Before Liz can open a case file, Calista’s life coach is executed. Suspicious characters swarm around Calista like mosquitoes on a sultry lowcountry evening: her certifiable mother, a fake aunt, her control-freak psychoanalyst, a private yoga instructor, her peculiar housekeeper, and an obsessed ex-husband. Liz digs in to find a motive for murder, but she’s besieged with distractions. Her ex has marriage and babies on his mind. Her too-sexy partner engages in a campaign of repeat seduction. Mamma needs help with Daddy’s devotion to bad habits. And a gang of wild hogs is running loose on Stella Maris.
With the heat index approaching triple digits, Liz races to uncover a diabolical murder plot in time to save not only Calista’s life, but also her own.
MY REVIEW
I almost didn’t read this book. What a mistake that would have been! The first couple of pages were heavy on the narrative and very, very light on the dialogue. I like very dialogue driven books so I almost set it aside. But it changed after the first few pages – never give up too soon. It was a great read. Looking at the premise, Marilyn Monroe look-a-like, you would expect some zany, slapstick type of cozy but not at all. Calista McQueen hires PI Liz Talbot to keep her alive. Her life has so mirrored Marilyn Monroe’s that she is convinced that as she was born on the same date and time as MM, she will die on the same date as well. Liz thinks it is all a prank at first but after checking out Calista she realizes that Calista is not a bit crazy and this is no prank. Especially after Calista’s ‘life coach’ is murdered. She also believes the most obvious suspects; the mother, mother’s friend, and an ex-husband who always promoted the MM thing; are not the ones to worry about. Calista happens to be worth $700 million. With that kind of money, a lot of people look guilty. From her shrink to even the very reputable security company that protects her property. You will be guessing right up until the end. I wouldn’t say it is the last character I would have suspected, but pretty close. There are also a couple of other storylines as with any good series book. A romance between Liz and her partner, some interesting family, oh and did I mention the ghost? Yes, the ghost of Liz’s childhood friend, Colleen, who committed suicide at 17. She is actually more of a guardian angel. For those who don’t like that kind of thing in their mysteries, it is not overdone, it does not detract. If you like Sue Grafton’s books you are going to love Lowcountry Bombshell. Preorder the book now. ♥♥♥♥
SUSAN’S LINKS
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
Kate Eileen Shannon 
You must be logged in to post a comment.