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This past Saturday morning, I picked up A Dangerous Woman to sample a chapter and see if it might be something I’d look forward to reading later when my stack of to-be-reads grew short. Before I looked up from the pages, I’d read over half of the book, and most of my Saturday morning had passed me by unnoticed. Needless to say, I had to finish it—laundry be danged!
Fay Cunningham runs a small town newspaper. Her husband left her for his “Barbie Doll” secretary, and her daughter is in college. Now, she dates a retired cop named Mitch, and her dearest friend is an older man named Joe, with whom she has tea when she delivers the paper. On one such day, she finds Joe gone, the housekeeper missing, and a mysterious young woman named Angel Adams taking up residence in Joe’s house.
Concerned for Joe’s safety, Fay begins to investigate Angel, since she seems to have appeared out of nowhere. When Ethel, the housekeeper, turns up dead inside an old refrigerator at a local dumping ground, Fay asks for Mitch’s help in finding out just who Angel Adams is. What they discover chills Fay’s heart—and if she’s not careful, she just might be the next victim.
Except for a few noticeable passive voice sentences here and there, A Dangerous Woman is a well-written and gripping read. I especially liked that Fay had a weight problem, brought on when she gave up smoking. It makes her come alive on the pages—makes her more real—and I could definitely relate when she wanted to order a cheeseburger and fries instead of a salad for lunch. Her flaws add to her character, rather than subtracting from it.
A Dangerous Woman brings out the charm and unique characters of its small-town setting. Even Willie, the waitress at the local “gossip corner” (diner), is memorable for her witty observations. And Mitch is a strong but lovable retired cop who still likes to keep his fingers in ongoing investigations as much as he’s allowed.
Though I was pretty sure who the killer was, I still wanted to know why, so I remained glued to the plot until the very satisfying conclusion. And after reading the last sentence, I thought, Boy, I hope these characters will be back for another mystery.
If you’re in the market for fantastic e-book authors, I’d definitely add Debra Lee to that list.
