THE LAST RESORT
by April Star
A goody-goody couple solve a murder mystery in an RV park.
Life couldn’t get much better for newlyweds David and Laura as they embark on a month-long romantic honeymoon in Harbor Lights RV Park. They enter their destination by means of a remote beach, where Laura picks up a seemingly innocuous bottle of sand that has washed ashore. There’s no time to dwell on this oddity because the lovers have arrived in the aftermath of tragedy: Park manager Patricia Marsh’s burning body was found on the beach by her daughter Gracie just days before. No strangers to mystery—David’s a private eye, Laura’s a girl-Friday type who first hired him to help her with some unwanted attention (Tropical Warnings, 2006)—they decide that they have to know more. Teaming up with neighbors Katie and Jeremy, a retired forensic anthropologist, they quickly discover that the sand in the bottle is none other than Patricia’s bone fragments. While David and Jeremy investigate, Laura decides that her best tactic is to volunteer around the front office and figure out what’s making Gracie and Cory, her stepfather and possible romantic interest, so jumpy. Despite some initial attention, Katie and Jeremy aren’t so lucky as this unlikely couple. The obligatory B-story romance between them is ignored once the plot heats up.
A fine blend of mystery and romance for readers who can tolerate the high sugar content in the protagonists’ dialogue.