The Parlor PI's discussion

I'm going to cheat and start with the blurb from the book:

"Clare Harrigan and her girlfriends are delighted when their childhood friend, Addie Halls, returns to Amelia Bay. She’s left a hectic, but successful, career behind and is ready to embrace a calmer, new life. Addie slipped away under a dark cloud twenty years earlier. Unfortunately, not everyone celebrates her return to their charming town. Heart-breaking secrets have simmered for years beneath the surface of this quiet community, nestled along the shores of the magnificent Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. The secrets reach their boiling point and spill over. The result is death. Clare and her friends have to prove to the Chief of Police he has a murder on his hands and not, as he believes, an accident."

I am only about chapters in the book and Addie is indeed found dead. Clare thinks it must be a murder, as she feels Addie would never have gone out for a walk after dark. (After not seeing her for 20 years, how could she be positive about that?)

There is a secret about Addie which we do not yet know, but have received a hint or two. It seems to have involved a man who is now mayor, though it also may be related to an older couple, whom we meet in the first chapter.

The older woman at the beginning was acting suspicious towards Addie even though Addie claimed to not know the couple. I'm curious to see what the big "secret" is concerning the mayor.

I like it so far. Something about the characters, setting, prose etc. makes this a read that works for me. Some books just have that certain something that makes them so. Maybe I'm a book snob but either a book has it (for me) or doesn't. A feel about it that works.

Wow, Gloria does have an issue with Addie and I'm sure we'll find out what it is.

Love the fall harvest feeling with the corn maze, pumpkin patch at the 'rents place. I want to be there for the festival!

I just finished this section. Though things have definitely happened, we still don't know Addie's secret. But there is a lot of investigation going on and Addie's friends are doing it. Add the chief STILL does not believe Addie's death was murder.

I wonder if that cut that Addie got had anything to do with the murder or was it an unrelated incident. Something seems fishy about it though because of the blood left behind with no attempt to clean it up. Then, later, the blood was gone and it looked like someone cleaned up after Clare and her friends went to Addie's house.

Some "Likes" posted to comments I made and I invited the Likers to come join us in conversation. Hope they do. :-)

Suzi, Suzanne, Rylee, come join us. We're a friendly little group and we'd love to have you included in The Parlor PI family. Hope to see you soon. :-)

It was not a good idea for Addie to move back under these conditions. Wonder if she knew her ex was now mayor? And what a "sweetheart" that Missy is.

I wonder if the chief knew that the blood found had subsequently, but mysteriously, been cleaned up? Doesn't that sound like something that would convince him of foul play?

I'm well into part two and will start that soon.

Didn't get to the clean up yet but trust I'll catch up with you PI's soon. (Root canal this morning. ugh)

I should've kept better track of characters. Lots of them showing up. lol

I comment on the confusion of the characters in the next section.

Mark Pghfan wrote: "I comment on the confusion of the characters in the next section."

Thanx, Mark. I thought it was me not getting it. I'll join you there ASAP. :-)

Okay, I'm last to the party but finally caught up! SPOILER ALERT - Is her secret the pregnancy?

That’s one secret but there’s something they happened in her past that might be coming back to haunt her (and then maybe got her killed).

I think the secret from the past is what we still don't know. I wonder if the mayor got her pregnant long ago...

He sure is a jerk!

Nicole wrote: "He sure is a jerk!"

LOL He sure is. Wifey might even have him beat.