The Bad Break by Jill Orr is the second book in the “Riley Ellison” mystery series, coming April 3, 2018 from Prospect Park Books
Riley’s back—and boy, is she busy!
Riley Ellison has taken a great leap of faith by giving up her comfortable job at the Tuttle Corner library for the exciting world of print journalism. Except that so far it hasn’t been very exciting. All that changes when Riley’s former co-worker Tabitha finds her soon-to-be father-in-law dead on the floor of his office, and Riley is asked to write his obituary. And when they discover Tabitha’s fiancé’s knife sticking out of his father’s chest, Riley finds herself with a murder investigation to cover as well.
With Holman out on leave and mounting pressure from her boss, the mayor, and a bridezilla facing the possibility of a conjugal visit honeymoon, Riley is desperate to prove she can handle the increasing demands of her new job. Despite warnings from her new boyfriend Jay, Riley blurs the line between reporter and investigator. Will Riley’s rookie mistakes lead to more than just her byline ending up on the obituary page?
There’s no sophomore slump for this author as she delivers a well-written tome that I could not put down, quickly becoming a page turner.
I had such a good time reading this book. With Riley’s mentor leaving while she is still a newbie, Riley’s life is overtaken by a co-worker, a bridezilla friend, a pregnant acquaintance, and an online personal concierge who all want some part of Riley and it is those interactions that gave me a few chuckles and kept me engrossed in all that was happening within the pages of this captivating mystery. Who killed Arthur Davenport? The author does a great job in setting this drama up with suspects who come and go, but it’s those strategically placed clues that would lead to the killer’s identity. I liked how the author told the story with narrative that put me in the middle of all the action and it was a few snippets, coupled with several twists and turns, that enhanced the telling of this tale and had me loving this book. I look forward to more exploits with Riley and the gang in the next book in this engagingly entertaining series.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher.