Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars
Gabe Maxfield never wanted to be a detective or a policeman or anything of the sort. The closest he wanted to come to the law was writing legal briefs and doing research for a big-shot law firm. Nice and safe, and without all the stress. No unanswered questions, just well-defined legal precedents.When he moves to Hawaii in the wake of a disastrous breakup and betrayal by an ex, a murder investigation is the last thing he expects to get wrapped up in, but he can’t help himself when a dead body, a hunky cop, and his best friend get involved.
So much for sipping mai tais on the beach and admiring the well-tanned bodies around him.
I think this story could be best described as a cozy mystery. I have to be honest, that was not what I was expecting. I had read another mystery this author has written and it was more gritty and realistic and that was what I was expecting here. Although in retrospect the cover may have been an indicator is was more light hearted than what I thought it would be.
I did enjoy the story though. The blurb does a good job explaining the story. Gabe doesn’t intend to be an investigator but gets caught up in a case as he tries to help his good friend out. He ends up getting some help from his neighbor Maka who he has been crushing on. I enjoyed both of the MC’s and liked them together as a couple.
I think the strongest part of the book was how the author set the atmosphere. He did a great job painting a picture of Hawaii and I could totally picture being there. In fact in brought back a lot of fond memories of the times I have been there in the past. I felt like he captured the “vibe” of the state very well.
The mystery was just alright for me. I had to suspend a lot of belief on their investigation and I figured out very early on who the killer was. I really think the quality of this depends on what the author was trying to do. If it was supposed to be a serious mystery then I don’t think it was very good. But, if it was supposed to be a cozy mystery then I think it fits well with other books in the genre. I’m kind of hoping that’s what the author was doing because I don’t know of any other cozy m/m series.
If you’re looking for a short and easy read with a lovely beach/island setting this would be a good pick. It’s a nice, easy read for sitting around the pool etc this summer.
This cover was done by Natasha Snow and I liked it a lot. It’s really well done artistically and I loved the details and the bright colors.
Sales Links: NineStar Press | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 156 pages
Published June 12th 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781947139190
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Gabe Maxfield Mysteries #1
Published June 12th 2017 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781947139190
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Gabe Maxfield Mysteries #1
