Known for her highly acclaimed mysteries for the young adult audience, this is Francis' first adult mystery novel -- a suspense thriller combining a first-rate puzzle with some wonderfully entertaining character portraits. It's a classic whodunit filled with fun and suspense, all set against the tropical backdrop of Key West.
Katie Hassworth of McCartel and Hassworth Private Investigators, has been hired to look into the murder of her landlady's mother, Alexa Chitting, owner of a prosperous marina, who was bludgeoned by a conch shell. As Katie investigates, she finds more suspects that are more than just the family and has her work cut out for her. She is also trying to find the killer before her boss, Mac McCartel arrives back in town from an out of town case. How Katie manages to find the killer and unmask them leads to a great story. Really enjoyed this one. Couldn't put it down.
An Amazon reviewer claimed there were too many "dictionary" words in this book. I only found about a dozen, and being lazy, I just kept reading. The book was good, although a tad on the romantic side for my tastes.