Maxine Benson is the police chief of Port Ainslie. Then one weekend her ex-husband arrives with his latest girlfriend. Only for the girlfriend to be found dead and Jim Benson the prime suspect.
A reasonably simple and quickly solved mystery.
A NetGalley Book ( )

#3 in Maxine Benson series

Maxine Benson is the recently hired police chief of a three-person department in Port Ainslie Ontario. She left her marriage and the Toronto police to take the position.

In this instalment, Max's ex-husband and his new girlfriend 'happen' to drop into town. When the girlfriend is murdered, and the ex accused, it's up to Max to prove him innocent. it was 'okay', but nothing special.

Small pages (7.5" x 4.75") and a large font, double-spaced, mean that the 150 page story reads very quickly. I suspect it's aimed at the YA market.

I received a paperback copy of this book free through the Library Things Early Reviewers program. ( )

These rapid reads are designed for adult literacy learners to give them something easy to read but with adult content. I have now read a number of them which all seem to be written by established writers and are usually about characters they have developed in full length books. I haven't read any other Maxine Benson mysteries but she seems to be an interesting character. She used to be a cop in Toronto but after her divorce from a fellow cop she moved to cottage country to become the chief of police. One day her ex-husband showed up with a much younger girlfriend. Maxine was upset but when the girlfriend's body was discovered in the lake and her ex was charged with her murder she wasn't so upset that she didn't want to see him cleared. Even though the OPP had official handling of the case Maxine was determined to solve the murder. Her ex-husband is very thankful she is on the case. ( )

This is a cozy murder mystery story set in the idyllic cottage country north of Toronto. I received an advance reading copy of the book from the publisher via LIbraryThing Early Reviewers. The views expressed below are my own.
Small town police chief Maxine Benson encounters her former husband Jim with his new trophy girlfriend in her town for a visit. This meeting does not go well as the girlfriend rudely dismisses Maxine. Not to worry though because by the next morning the bimbo is dead and the ex-husband is the chief suspect. Maxine is forced out of the police investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police but, with a belief that Jim is not the killer, she continues to look into the murder. Using her police detective skills acquired from her time as a Toronto police officer, she follows some clues ignored by the OPP.
It's a well-plotted puzzle story, not complicated by too many characters or red herrings. It's an easy entertaining read with a satisfactory ending. Maxine is of course the star of the show: an intelligent and resourceful police officer. She stands her ground against the overbearing OPP sergeant, who dismisses her efforts on the grounds they have their killer. Is he lazy or stupid, or both?
This story continues the series that has two previous books and can easily be read as a standalone. There's several recurring characters that add colour to the story and serve as support for Maxine. When will we get a full Maxine Benson novel?
This is recommended read. ( )

This book offers a quick and fun mystery. A local cop (Maxine) runs into her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. This isn't a happy reunion. When the girlfriend ends up dead, and the ex is accused of her murder, Maxine feels she must try to prove his innocence, since even though she's angry at him, she doesn't believe he committed the crime. There is some smart dialog and the murderer is not predictable. There's even some humor. The plot is clever and there are some intriguing characters. This was a good afternoon read. ( )