Mystery

Several years have passed and the business of Regina Van Buren and Hamish DeLuca hask ept them busy. Now Errol Parker, black baseball player needs their help. The Boston police believe that they are just pranks, but he is unsure. Then a dead body is discovered. Is there any connection to the construction of new buidlings in their area, the closeness of the war, and what of Hamish's cousin, Luca Valari.
An enjoyable historical mystery,well-written with some very likeable characters. Although it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading Book One as it gives some background to the story.
A NetGalley Book ( )

This is the second book in the series, and although I haven't read the first novel yet, I had no trouble sinking into the second. So, yes, this can be read as a stand alone. However, the character and story is so enjoyable, that I'd recommend starting with the first book (which I'm going to have to do myself).

Reggie is a woman, who is very focused and knows where she's headed. Her partner, Hamish, is more quiet and relaxed. Together, the two make a wonderful pair of detectives, who insist on remaining friends despite the attraction. The two are hired by a baseball player to discover the truth behind pranks, which the player is sure fall into the category of hate crimes.

I enjoy a fun jaunt into history, and this book does a wonderful job of that. The setting is nicely laid out and comes across with lovely details in just the right way to lure the reader in. It's easy to get lost in the world building an seep back into time.

In this book, the theme of racism and hate crimes is presented while remaining very true to the historical period. While this is a mystery, these social themes come through loud and clear. Still, the mystery takes center stage and weaves with exciting surprises, red herrings and carefully hidden clues. It's hard to guess where the entire thing is going and holds some unexpected twists just as a good mystery should.

Outside of the world building, it's the two detectives which make this a fun read. The pair reminds of the television series Moonlighting. Reggie is strong and determined, while Hamish leans toward the more relaxed end of things. The romantic tension between them buzzes strong, although Reggie refuses to acknowledge anything. It makes for a nice back and forth to keep the tension high.

It will be fun to see where this series goes next.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading it very much. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts. ( )

I'm happy to be back with the duo of Hamish and Reggie. They are a great team and for some reason remind me of the duo from the show Moonlighting. They have this quirky relationship that seems to compliment each other. I'm not quite sure if there are sparks between them at times, but they sure liven up the story.

There is an abundance of intrigue and not so nice people in the story. At times I didn't know who was good and who was bad. I remember reading the first book and thinking how much I enjoyed it. This book had me confused. There seemed to be too many characters and I didn't know if I was reading a mystery or a romance book.

The story covers a little about baseball and prejudice during this time period. I enjoyed reading about the great baseball players during this time period. My blood boiled as Errol Parker explained how he has been treated in the baseball world due to his color. He is the best at stealing bases, but someone is not happy with him playing. When he describes how his nephew was beat up at a game, you could feel Hamish and Reggie become angry and ashamed of how cruel people are.

Lies are being spread about different nationalities and the tension has built up to where it is infiltrated the baseball world. Why is this group spreading hate? Baseball is America's favorite pass time, but Errol thinks his life may be in danger. I wish the author would have not spent so much time on if Hamish and Reggie liked each other. This book is listed as a Christian fiction book, but I found no reference to faith at all in the book.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

This is the second book about Hamish DeLuca and Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, and as far as I remember I have not read the first book. While I think it would be helpful to read Murder at the Flamingo first, I found myself able to follow along with the storyline fairly well. This historical book, set in 1940 in Boston tells the tale of a set of private investigators.

This book started off a little slow for me, and I initially had a hard time staying interested. However, at some point in the story, I did become more interested. I am a fan of murder mysteries, so I really wanted to enjoy this one. I felt like some details were focused on too much in the story, while other things I wanted to know about were brushed to the side.

The book centers around a case Hamish DeLuca and Reggie Van Buren are trying to solve involving Errol Parker, who plays for the Boston Baseball farm league. Errol has been subject to a series of what the local police state are pranks. I loved the interactions of the characters -, especially between Hamish and Reggie. Throughout the story, crimes and adventures seem to increase. The ending was fairly satisfactory to me. I have to say I really felt sorry for Vaughan, who was in love with Reggie and ultimately walked away from her since she realized she was in love with Hamish.

Dirk Foster was a character I was easily able to despise and want to see brought to justice. Nate was a character, however, I found myself liking throughout the story – even when he was keeping secrets.

At times the story seemed to drag along, while at others it seemed to fly by. All in all, I would recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review. ( )