Tangled Secrets: A Gabi Espinosa Mystery

by Virginia Kelly

Turner’s Crossroads, where nothing happens… Until it does.Reeling from her husband’s murder, librarian Gabriela Espinosa took her young daughter and sought refuge in the perceived safety of her tiny hometown in the Florida Panhandle. Six years later, the murder of her best friend shatters her sense of security and threatens the walls Gabi built to protect herself from grief.

Suspicion falls on an old friend of her late father’s. Though the man is troubled, Gabi believes he’s incapable of violence. In his defense, she begins asking questions which put her at odds with the local sheriff’s department and a mysterious new deputy.

As she uncovers a tangle of complicated relationships, there’s a second murder. With fear resonating through the town’s sleepy façade, Gabi confronts a dark past that lays bare Turner’s Crossroads’ secrets, putting her, and her daughter, in danger.

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 16, 2024

About the author

Virginia Kelly is the author of romantic suspense and romantic adventure novels. Her books have been nominated for several awards including the RWA Golden Heart, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Quill, the Aspen Gold and the National Reader's Choice Award.

To learn more about Virginia and her books (and her travel and iffy photographic skills), visit her website at http://virginiakelly.net.

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Tangled Secrets by Virginia Kelly. A widowed woman moves back to a small town in the Florida panhandle along with her teenaged daughter. Everybody knows everybody in this town, and when a woman is found murdered, the gossip flies. When a second murder is committed the whole town is full of speculation about possible suspects.
I like the author's writing style. The story flows without being bogged down with difficult vocabulary or overly detailed scenes or events. She paints a picture of a setting that's easy to visualize. The character development is outstanding. I especially enjoyed the main character, Gabi. She must grapple with her buried feelings from her husband's death. The author describes her thoughts, feelings and actions in depth. The writing was so amazing that it made me wonder if the author had lived it.
The story moves along at a good pace. There are lots of characters in this little community, and I wondered if I needed to keep track of all of them. Not to worry . . . Gabi summarizes and speculates at times, and the suspects are well characterized. The biggest challenge is which rumors to believe and which might have merit. There are some interesting twists, thus the "tangled secrets," and a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like a good murder mystery.

[Rhondia Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabs your attention from the first word and never lets go. Gabi and the rest of the characters are engaging. The dialogue is humorous at times but the overall subject matter is pure suspense…with a dash of romance. The author nailed the small town propensity to gossip and get it mostly wrong all while swearing every word is gospel truth. There are a few curse words but no descriptive sex, what most would likely rate overall as moderate to moderate +. I liked the flow of the story and the conclusion, carefully crafted to leave room for the next book in the series. I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion.