PRESENTSWhen Annie Ogden's ex-boyfriend Michael Garcia reappears, she has to confront a lie dating back to her time in Iraq. Will she go back to hot, passionate Michael, who has developed a disturbing interest in meth, or stick with her pudgy PI partner and fiance, Salvatore?
A murder.
The calculus changes when Michael is arrested for murder. When Salvatore refuses to help investigate, Annie is forced to try to find the killer herself. Meanwhile her sister's creepy husband, Todd, is making more of an ass of himself than usual.
An obsession.
Annie's problems with three obsessive men suddenly pale in significance when she realizes the killer has set his sights on her. Having changed his mind about helping her, Salvatore finds himself in a desperate race against time, the only man capable of finding the killer before it's too late.
A_TiffyFit's Review: This was my first Annie Ogden mystery and holy moly what a book it was! Annie Ogden pissed me off SO BAD! I wanted to reach into the book and shake her madly to knock some sense into her!
What she had been hung up on for the past 532 days, as she points out repeatedly, wasn't love. (The affair in Iraq while deployed there in the armed services.) Why else would she have to consider the proposal? One who is so "madly in love" wouldn't have to think about it for a moment! She wouldn't be thinking about what kind of home they would able to afford, what kind of job he would hold, where they would live, how they would pay their bills, etc. All of those practical matters wouldn't have crossed her mind! Obviously, even back then, she's had doubts about Michael and her relationship. Had she been madly in love as she claims, she would've jumped at Michael's "marry me, right now, right here, at the camp" where they were stationed, especially within the confines of life-and-death risks present day in and day out in Iraq.
What Annie and Michael had was mostly lust and excitement. Their relationship, being together, adventuring on the crazy, impulsive, and fun things made both of them feel alive, and filled the gap of loneliness while they were far away in a foreign country. The intimacy and deep sharing of thoughts during such times made them think it was love, but not really. When Annie finally realizes this, there's been a few regrettable mistakes.
Annie eventually realizes that what she has with Salvatore is genuine love, and of the kind that a mature person falls into. She also learns that she is happy with Salvatore, for he is genuine, honest, fun, reliable, protective, and considerate, as well as much, much more.
By the time she is certain and is ready to move on and finally be rid of Michael from her system, events occur which keep her rooted in Florida. Author Frederick Lee Brooke keeps you guessing with this good old-fashioned "who done it?" mystery, and one can't help but to keep guessing on the perpetrator.
At it's beginning, I did not like this book and couldn't get into it. However, in a matter of a few more pages turned, I was hooked! The plot is genuine, current, and believable with a mystery that is acceptable and deeply involving. There aren't any hitches upon which you stumble because the prose is that well-written. The characters are realistic - so much so that, like I said at the start, I wanted to shout at Annie for being an idiot.
I'd recommend to this to anyone who likes to read, I don't care what genre is your normal! I feel like I've been missing out, not having met Annie, frustrating as I found her in the beginning, earlier and want to pick up the other two earlier books Doing Max Vinyl and Zombie Candy. Easily a 5 star read!
What she had been hung up on for the past 532 days, as she points out repeatedly, wasn't love. (The affair in Iraq while deployed there in the armed services.) Why else would she have to consider the proposal? One who is so "madly in love" wouldn't have to think about it for a moment! She wouldn't be thinking about what kind of home they would able to afford, what kind of job he would hold, where they would live, how they would pay their bills, etc. All of those practical matters wouldn't have crossed her mind! Obviously, even back then, she's had doubts about Michael and her relationship. Had she been madly in love as she claims, she would've jumped at Michael's "marry me, right now, right here, at the camp" where they were stationed, especially within the confines of life-and-death risks present day in and day out in Iraq.
What Annie and Michael had was mostly lust and excitement. Their relationship, being together, adventuring on the crazy, impulsive, and fun things made both of them feel alive, and filled the gap of loneliness while they were far away in a foreign country. The intimacy and deep sharing of thoughts during such times made them think it was love, but not really. When Annie finally realizes this, there's been a few regrettable mistakes.
Annie eventually realizes that what she has with Salvatore is genuine love, and of the kind that a mature person falls into. She also learns that she is happy with Salvatore, for he is genuine, honest, fun, reliable, protective, and considerate, as well as much, much more.
By the time she is certain and is ready to move on and finally be rid of Michael from her system, events occur which keep her rooted in Florida. Author Frederick Lee Brooke keeps you guessing with this good old-fashioned "who done it?" mystery, and one can't help but to keep guessing on the perpetrator.
At it's beginning, I did not like this book and couldn't get into it. However, in a matter of a few more pages turned, I was hooked! The plot is genuine, current, and believable with a mystery that is acceptable and deeply involving. There aren't any hitches upon which you stumble because the prose is that well-written. The characters are realistic - so much so that, like I said at the start, I wanted to shout at Annie for being an idiot.
I'd recommend to this to anyone who likes to read, I don't care what genre is your normal! I feel like I've been missing out, not having met Annie, frustrating as I found her in the beginning, earlier and want to pick up the other two earlier books Doing Max Vinyl and Zombie Candy. Easily a 5 star read!
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About the author: Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series, which includes Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order. Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works! Connect with Fred on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.
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