Key to Savannah is the first book in Hope Callaghan’s Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series. Ms. Callaghan has written a well thought out and interesting mystery, with a good story line and excellent character development. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery is carried on well throughout the entire book and there are enough twists and turns to hold the reader’s interest. The author is very talented in descriptive writing and much of the time I was reading, I felt like I was right there watching the activities taking place. This is a clean cozy mystery featuring no gratuitous sex, violence, or foul language. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series and seeing how the characters and their relationships develop. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted cozy mystery.
On his deathbed, Vincent “Vinnie” Garlucci makes his wife, Carlita, promise to get his sons “out” and she was convinced he meant to get them out of the “family.” Vinnie and Carlita had four children, three sons, Vinnie Jr., Anthony, and Paulie, and one daughter, Mercedes. Several months after his death, Carlita decided it was time to sort through Vinnie’s clothes. In the bag containing the clothes Vinnie had been wearing the day he was admitted to the hospital, she found his favorite jacket and couldn’t resist the urge to wrap herself up in it. As she took the jacket off, she found an envelope addressed to her in the front pocket and it contained a key she had never seen before. She showed the key to Mercedes, who did some research, and discovered it was a key to a safe deposit box at their local bank. Carlita and Mercedes went to the bank and when they opened the safe deposit box, they found a deed to some properties in Savannah, Georgia and a small bag of precious gems. Even though two of her sons weren’t willing to discuss getting “out” of the “family” business and none of them would entertain the thought of leaving New York, Carlita and Mercedes decided to take a road trip to Savannah to look at the property Vinnie had left her without letting her sons know about their plans. Their home is broken into several times ad vandalized once and Carlita and Mercedes start asking questions and even try to set up a trap to catch the culprit or culprits.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.