The seventh in the Seaside Café Mystery series, PLEADING THE FISH, sends Everly Swan into a desperate dive for research that may prove it's safe for her to marry Detective Grady Hays (and become Mama to his adorable son Denver). Everly's long-established family in the seaside town of Charm, North Carolina, has far too many widows in it, and family lore says that the men chosen by the Swan women die quickly, struck by a historic curse.
The curse, if it exists, dates back to the original owners of the house that's become Everly's sweet-tea and gourmet food café. The place comes with a protective seagull and a hauntingly clever cat that Everly suspects could be those original lovers, hanging around to comfort and warn her.
But the dangers she faces, as an amateur sleuth motivated by love and loyalty, are very real and very much in the present. Series readers will sympathize when they notice that Everly is going to have to "make nice" with her childhood enemy Mary Grace in order to dig into what's motivating the small town's latest crime wave. Whoever is responsible clearly realizes that Everly is on the hunt—because the criminal keeps dumping seaweed and fish all over her vehicles, as well as threatening her directly on the town's gossip website.
No need to read the other six books in the series first—Baker does a nice job of bringing in the pertinent details. But it will be a lot more fun if you already have, plus if this is your first peek into a Bree Baker book, beware! You may find yourself buying all the rest of the series, for a good summer of relaxing romantic suspense.
"Bree Baker" is a pen name of Julie Ann Lindsey, whose website shows her other series. Perfect for a very feminine stack of books to sweeten the evenings. And, of course, PLEADING THE FISH comes with recipes at the end, this time including the famous Swan lemon cake, "to bolster a hero's heart."
PS: Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.
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