“One of Us” Earns 5/5 Excaliburs…Engaging Mystery & Rich Characters!
When it rains, it pours: roommate moves, mortgage too expensive, animal rescue defunct, podcast not lucrative, and publisher says goodbye. This forces Roxi Carlucci to take cover and pack up her belongings along with her Excalibur replica sword, her well-worn copy of “The Once and Future King,” and her blue dumbo rat named Merlin and move to Fresno, California. She at least has an open invitation from her cousin and private investigator Stephen Carlucci along with a job if she wants, but to her this is ten steps backwards with an uncertain future and heat that would literally fry an egg in the shell. “Life sucked.” However, things are looking up since Stephen’s house is within a nice walk to the art center of Fresno, christened the Tower District, and she meets some friendly business owners and residents of the area; her cousin has even suggested she accompany him to the local theater and seriously consider getting involved with their new production. She isn’t new to the theater, but “involved” takes on criminal overtones when she discovers the dead body of one of the crew in a locked-room style mystery, and due to the preliminary evidence pointing to the handsome playwright, she joins her cousin in the official investigation…business cards and all. This valley town has a big city dark side.
Thumbs Up! Lorie Lewis Ham has rejoined the world of authors with the first book in her Tower District Mystery series using the common advice given to authors to “write what you know.” This does not necessarily mean criminal behavior, but setting, characters, and sidekicks are all areas one should have some familiarity. Lorie has set her edgy cozy in the Central Valley city of Fresno, near where she herself lives, with its diverse culture, its big city vibe and small town surprises, and in the summer, its extreme temperatures. All of this she describes well giving the reader an intriguing place in which to explore small businesses, family dynamics, mental health issues, social media, and murder. Roxi Carlucci is a delight with a clever perspective and an inspiring background of reinventing or relocating herself, but maintaining her true sense. She has endearing relationships with her cousin, her quirky friend Lucas Shum, and her new theater friends, and her passion with all things King Arthur is unique and sent me off to google the lore of Camelot. However, she has some issues that make her realistic from a family with criminal connections she wishes to avoid to the death of her parents at an early age and the suicide of her brother still raw even with years since his passing. She’s quirky in her own right with a pet rat Merlin, something else Lorie has familiarity, and the fascinating details about the domesticated blue dumbo rat also sent me to explore more about the breed and, although Merlin doesn’t hold true “sidekick” status, he is definitely fun! Lorie’s first book is a well-written, first-person narrative with entertaining twist and turns and a nail biting conclusion to keep readers engaged in the drama. Complex characters. Rich environment. Well-worth reading.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.