Bingo Barge Murder by Jessie Chandler is the first book in the new “Shay O’Hanlon” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, May 2011
As co-owner of The Rabbit Hole, a quirky-cool Minneapolis coffee shop, Shay O’Hanlon finds life highly caffeinated but far from dangerous. That is, until her lifelong friend Coop becomes a murder suspect. The victim was Kinky, Coop’s former boss and the unsavory owner of The Bingo Barge, a sleazy gambling boat on the Mississippi. The weapon? Kinky’s lucky bronzed bingo marker.
While unearthing clues to absolve Coop, Shay encounters Mafia goons hunting for some extremely valuable nuts. Looking for the murderer without help from the cops proves risky—especially with distracting sparks flying between Shay and the beautiful yet fierce Detective Bordeaux. When Shay’s elderly friend and landlady is held for ransom by the mob, all bets are off. Can Shay find the killer before the stakes get any higher?
We are introduced to Shay O’Hanlon co-owner of a coffee shop and her friends, Coop, Kate and Eddy. When Coop fears he’ll be implicated in the murder of his boss, he goes into hiding and with help from Shay, they set out to find the person responsible. This was an amusing mystery as Shay and Coop get in way over their heads while trying to thwart the killer from causing them and their friends any harm. This mystery was slightly different as you knew who the culprits were, but the fun began when the two plotted their way to bringing the culprits to justice. The comical escapades of the two had me quickly turning the pages and laughing out loud. This was a very enjoyable debut in this entertaining series.
*new-to-me author