E’s Reviews > Death on the Lanai > Status Update

"They linked arms and left the villa--and all of its memories--behind them." <3 <3 <3

**spoilerish**
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The back-and-forth examination of these malicious letters has me more suspicious than ever that this is all an elaborate hoax set up by the victim *squints* Then again, I'm also entertaining the idea of Miami underworld ties. Orrr the possibility that there's a total stranger hiding on the island... (I'm not trying terribly hard to solve it. I'm just speculating. Just here for the ride.)

"...traces of North American potting soil are present." Herman out here diagnosing dirt, meanwhile is anyone still concerned about the state of the body?? I just can't help thinking that if they leave him for too long in the Florida climate, some pretty gnarly things are gonna happen. (ALTHOUGH I also can't help but wonder if Declan is actually as dead... or if this tableau is part of his career revival).

"Where are they now?" Rose said.
"In my underwear," Dorothy confessed.

I'm crying lol this is the best. Leave it to the Golden Girls to put a stupid (and much needed) smile on my face through sheer silliness.

A fun thing about this series is the limited tech--power goes out, phone lines go down, ship washes away? It matters; they're in the dark. No cell phones, no fridge, no way to signal the mainland. I mean, that's the world I grew up in, but it's wild how much has changed so quickly. Cell service (heck, a digital camera alone) would change this story entirely. Imagine!

The shenanigans are shenaning again. Do they ever do anything else, really? I love this book for not spoiling anything about book 1 as I read them simultaneously. I can immerse, just waiting to see what weird situation will unfold next. There's a bittersweet quality to Blanch's storyline so far that has me feeling some kind of way... I need people to give her more credit. But I guess that's true for all of them.

There too is a mystery in my neighborhood. A gray morning; a soft and steady rain. I had the window open to listen.

While on a work call the power flickered, followed a split second later by a concussive explosion. Like a lightning strike right on top of us. Only there was no storm.

Power stayed on here--but everyone across the street from us has gone dark.

We're living the murder mystery mood here.

Storms, power outages, strange sounds in an old house at night?? Something sinister is afoot.

Also? Being stranded without an overnight bag is the real terror here, okay? Good thing Blanche, at least, thought ahead. Nice of Declan to share his pajamas. ... How many pairs of pajamas does he own anyway? Is this just a me thing? Does everyone just have, like, 10 sets of jammies on hand?

Inquiring minds.

I've recently discovered a little trick. When I'm lacking motivation to complete a task, I tell my brain, "Hey, I need some dopamine, please." Weirdly, it tends to work *shrugs*

But no motivation needed for sneaking behind the back of book one with book two of this series, though. More 80s nostalgia that genuinely captures the characters and feels like burrowing into a cozy time capsule. I'm enjoying it.