As part of a blog tour organized by Great Escapes Virtual Book tours, I recently had the pleasure of reading Nearly Departed, the latest addition to the Eve Appel Mystery series by Lesley A. Diehl.
Description
Tired of sitting surveillance on insurance fraud, apprentice PI Eve Apple Egret gets her first big case, one where the outcome is important and personal. Eve’s best friend Madeleine has few relatives, so her Uncle Shamus is special, but someone is determined to kill him and has tried several times. Eve is certain she can identify who is after him, but this time she may have taken on more than even our self-confident Eve can handle. Coping with a growing toddler and a teenager, devoting time to the consignment shop and finding someone who can go undercover in a sexual harassment case all vie for Eve’s attention. Eve knows she cannot fail Madeleine. This is more than her favorite uncle’s life. His death would mean devastating loss for Madeleine and call into question Eve’s commitment as a friend and her ability as a PI.
My Review
In this latest Eve Appel mystery, Eve remains true to form – likable, spunky and determined. Her ongoing PI apprenticeship places two new cases on her plate – one related to sexual harassment and another to the possible attempted murder of one of her best friend’s visiting relatives. In her pursuit of the truth she is helped by a familiar cast of family and friends, including a loving grandmother, an amazingly likeable Mafia mob boss and a close friend who happens to be a police officer. And they all rally around to help her solve the case.
As in previous books in this series, family was very much at the center of this book – this time with focus on Madeleine’s extended family and their relationships – as were various aspects of Sammy’s Miccosukee heritage.
Diverse characters and interesting twists made this an enjoyable light read..
Note: Although this book is part of a series, it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.
Giveaway
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About the Author
Cows, Lesley learned as a child growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she went to the field to herd them in for milking, and one ate the 
lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t her career path, she took a job as a stripper, book cover stripper for a publishing company, that is. Now after many years as a college professor and university administrator, she has returned to the world of books and uses her country roots and her training to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. “A good chuckle,” says Lesley,” keeps us emotionally well-oiled long into our old age.”
Author Links
- Website – www.lesleyadiehl.com
- Blog – www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog
- Facebook – www.facebook.com/lesley.diehl.1
- Facebook Author Page – www.facebook.com/Lesley-A-Diehl522270901254754
- GoodReads – www.goodreads.com/3414925.Lesley_A_Diehl
Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N – INDIEBOUND
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