Footprints to Murder by Marcia Talley is the 15th book in the “Hannah Ives” mystery series. Publisher: Severn House Publishers, December 2016

When a man is murdered in the woods and the main suspect appears to be a giant ape, Hannah steps in to solve the mystery. Does Bigfoot really exist?

Hannah is delighted to reconnect with her former roommate, Susan Lockley, owner of Scarborough Fairs, at a college reunion, and agrees to step in when Susan’s assistant drops out of managing the Sasquatch Sesquicentennial in Granite Falls, Oregon. But when Martin Radcliffe, a professional debunker, is found murdered, surrounded by gigantic footprints, the culprit appears, or was meant to appear, obvious: Bigfoot.

Fantasy or fact? As the conference disintegrates into a chaos of finger pointing, mistrust and fear, it falls to Hannah to restore order. Working closely with Jake, a retired policeman and his K-9, Harley, Hannah hastens to stave off the vigilantes and solve the crime before Bigfoot, if he exists, comes one step closer to extinction.

This is my first Hannah book and I wondered why it took me so long to start this series. This well-written light drama pulled me in immediately keeping me engaged in all that was happening. When Hannah becomes embroiled in another murder mystery, she has to pick through truths and untruths in order to solve this puzzling whodunit where suspects are aplenty. I like the way the narrative lent itself to the telling of this tale as the path the players took kept the story moving at a good pace with some twists and turns that was staged perfectly and led to the killer’s identity and capture. I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Hannah’s adventures.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.