Danger at the Cover by Hannah Dennison
The second of the Island Sisters Mystery, Danger at the Cove takes place on the English island of Tregarrick where Evie is working on reopening a hotel along with her sister, Margot when unexpected visitors arrive and one of their staff members goes missing.
I really appreciate when a book within a series brings one up to speed as I had not read the first book in the series and I quickly became acquainted with the main players and their mannerisms and history. While the story took on a slow start, half way through it began to pick up speed and I really began to enjoy the mystery part of the book.
Evie is a likeable character and I felt she wasn’t the typical nosy amateuth sleuth that is commonly found in cozy mysteries. I liked how we were taken in by her thought process of observations to figure out who the person was to commit the crime and that the killer just didn’t come out of nowhere.
I also loved how the chief detective conducted the initial questioning of the suspects in the Poirot fashion of gathering them all in the one room and calling them out on skeletons they have in their closets.
Definitely looking forward to reading the next in the series and reading the series starter that I already own!
Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Description
Renovations on Tregarrick Rock Hotel are coming along, and Evie Mead thinks they just might be done by opening day. Then one of her sister Margot's old Hollywood friends, Louise, arrives unannounced--and expecting VIP treatment.
Evie has half a mind to tell Louise to find other accommodations, but Margot pleads with Evie, saying that Louise--despite her upbeat and demanding attitude--is grieving her recently deceased husband. Evie pities her, and besides, the sisters need help. A simple rewiring project has resulted in a major overhaul of the hotel, and they're way over budget. The small life insurance policy left to Evie by her own husband is gone, and they are desperate for funds. Margot believes that Louise, a marketing guru, can put the hotel on the map and give it the boost it needs.
But when a member of the hotel staff is found dead, and then another murder follows, the sisters' plans crumble before their eyes. Who would do such a thing--and why? In a rollicking adventure involving a shipwreck filled with buried treasure, a dashing and mysterious Australian named Randy, and old rivalries stretching back to far before Evie and Margot ever set foot on the island, it's all hands on deck to find the killer--and save the hotel.