The lives of two strangers, Greg Jenkins and Megan Brighton, become inextricably entangled when they each sign up for a dinner dating agency. Greg's reason for joining has nothing to do with looking for love. His recently divorced sister Sam has disappeared and Greg is convinced that Dinner for Twelve, or at least one of its clients, may be responsible. Neither is Megan looking for love. Although single, she only joined at her best friend Brenda De Luca's insistence. When a client of the dating agency is murdered, suspicion falls on several of the members. Then Megan's friend Brenda disappears without trace, and Megan and Greg join forces. Will they find Sam and Brenda, or are they about to step into the same inescapable snare?
I've read an enjoyed Vicki Tyley's other three books. One of this author's true talents is presenting a beginning that draws readers into the story and keeps them engaged until the very end. I never felt this story dragged, and I was reluctant to put the story down until I had read every last word. I genuinely liked and cared about the characters in the story. They were developed to the extent that a good balance was reached between the action and the characterization. I was pulled into the story because of the experiences of the characters, and it was written in such a way as to encourage my sleuthing right along with Megan and Greg.
Another thing this author does masterfully is throw some twists into the plot. Once again, I pegged the wrong killer. Numerous times, in fact. I think almost everyone fell under my suspicion at some point in the story, even people normally thought of as innocent bystanders. I love unpredictability in mysteries. Even though it seemed like the author was setting one or two characters up as apparent suspects, the number of characters made for a constant guessing game as to who was really guilty. The only thing I could predict going into the read was that it would be unpredictable.
The author's writing style is fluid and that provides for a smooth and easy read. Although the author exhibited strong writing skills from the get-go, each book she's written seems to show slightly more refined development. There were only a few abrupt changes in this book, as compared to previous stories, and the next chapter backtracked enough to explain what had happened. So instead of being a source of confusion, it seemed like a purposeful technique. I never had that dazed and confused feel that I'd experienced in other books. I was never really a step ahead of the story, but I never felt beind the eight ball, either.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: A Vicki Tyley book is always a good bet. In the four books I've read, I've never felt disappointment. I always leave feeling entertained.
Full review at GraceKrispy's MotherLode blog.
If you're an author or publisher, you've come to the right place. BookBuzzr provides one of the most comprehensive set of book-marketing technologies and services in the world. We're constantly adding new features in a race with ourselves to build technologies that will help your books fly out of book-stores.
