Kendel Lynn

Elliot Lisbon is the Director of the Ballantyne Foundation, a charitable organization founded by two billionaires who are also her surrogate grandparents - in other words, they're as fond of her as she is of them; and they trust her judgment implicitly. Which is a good thing, because she'll need to use it soon.

The woman baking the centerpiece cakes for the foundation's latest charity rum, the Beach Ball, Juliette Pete, is getting married the next day and Elliot has volunteered the show more decorations being used as an exchange for the cakes. But when there's going to be a bridal brunch, the maid of honor, Daphne Fischer, doesn't show up. In fact, she's not answering her cell phone and no one can locate her. At first, they think she might have taken an unexpected trip because everything was getting to be too much, but soon it's apparent that's not the case.

Elliot forms teams of people to comb the island for Daphne, fearing the worst. But when she starts to dig into the situation, she discovers there's more to the story: Juliette's grandmother is wed to the groom's, Tucker's, grandfather; so when they met on a reality show and fell in love, it seemed to be destiny. But Daphne was also on the show, and while she wasn't chosen as Tucker's bride, she became fast friends with Juliette and also her roommate.

So it seemed natural that she would also be Juliette's maid-of-honor, but Elliot is discovering that when you dig into a pit, you might not want to see what's at the bottom of it. There's things that are simmering beneath the surface, and if Juliette seems to be unaware of it, Elliot is becoming perhaps too aware of the truth.

With her friend Sid by her side, they want to know what's going on, but both Elliott's boyfriend, Detective Nick Ransom and Sheriff Hill are keeping quiet, and so she decides to pursue it on her own. When the truth does comes out, it's not what anyone ever thought could be, and it might change Elliot forever, in more ways than one...

This is the fifth book in the series, and I've read every one of them. Ms. Lynn can pull you into the story quickly and easily, and once there, you don't want to leave. Her characters are alive and practically jump off the page; and her descriptions of Sea Island make you want to make a trip there to soak up the sun; almost hearing the waves of the ocean as you read.

The mystery is well thought-out and, I have to admit, not even close to anything I've read before, which makes it all the more intriguing. There is plenty of suspense, and almost anyone can be a suspect; which makes it all the more difficult while they are searching for Daphne. But it is the backstory that is the most interesting - of how Tucker and Juliette met and what fated them for the moments that lie in front of them now.

When the ending comes and everything is revealed, there is nothing so tragic as tragedy itself; nothing so sad as a moment lost that cannot be regained. This is indeed a story worth reading; and while we have had to wait some time for this book to be added to the series, the wait was definitely worth it as I feel it is also the best one, and it is a tale I will not soon forget. Highly recommended. show less

If, from a bibliophilic perspective, the unthinkable should happen, and I was only able to follow 10 cozy series, this would definitely be one of the keepers. There's just something wonderfully competent and enjoyable about Kendel Lynn's writing; the characters she's created feel like the kind of people I grew up with and the community resembles the kind I grew up in.

Having said that, this one didn't work quite as well as the rest. It was still better than your average cozy, but she didn't show more hit it out of the ballpark. The plot felt scattered, but as I write this I wonder if that wasn't part of the point. Elliott feels scattered and disconnected to her own life and job in this book, wondering what happened to her focus; the plot definitely mirrored her inner turmoil, so perhaps that was the point. If so, I still maintain the book wasn't all it could be if I didn't feel emotionally invested enough to immediately see the connection.

I'm also a little bummed at the lack of romantic spark in this one. She's got all the elements at hand, and she spent the last three books setting it up, but either she's got us in a holding pattern, or she's jumped past all the good stuff. I hope it's the former; I'd definitely like Ransom to play a more active role next time around.

For all the grumbling though, I'd still recommend this series in a New York minute. It's solidly plotted, with an intelligent female lead who is surrounded by strong intelligent women and interesting (and intelligent) men. Very few stereotypes, no caricatures. Moderate humor. I'm a solid fan. show less

With Elliot Lisbon, author Kendel Lynn creates a character who is resourceful, determined, and willing to get her hands dirty. That’s saying a lot considering she’s addicted to hand sanitizer! Elli is used to dealing with “discreet inquiries” for members of the board of the Ballantyne where she acts as director, but when one member is found murdered and another suspected of the deed, she’s left with a mess worse than barbeque sauce spilled on a white cotton tablecloth. Chemistry show more between Elli and local police lieutent Ransom sizzles on page one and keeps going until the end. I love this new series and can’t wait for book 2! show less

I received this book as an arc via NetGalley and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review.

Whack Job is the follow up to Agatha Award nominated (for best first book in a series) Board Stiff and I'm relieved to find it doesn't suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump.

I'll borrow from the books description for a summary (I couldn't do it better or heaven knows, more concisely):

Elliott Lisbon blends her directorship of the Ballantyne Foundation with her PI-in-Training status by planning show more parties and performing discreet inquiries for charitable patrons. But when the annual Wonderland Tea Party makes everyone go mad as a hatter, Elli gets pulled into a shooting, a swindle, and the hunt for a Fabergé egg.

I had fun reading this book - great fun! Elliot is smart, independent, and sometimes delightfully mouthy. If someone pushes her, she pushes back; none of this dainty southern nonsense. She's a little bit of a germophobe, maybe a little OCD, but neither quirk ever overwhelms the story, thank goodness. In fact, knowing what the reader does about Elliot's aversion to germs makes some of the scenes in this book all the more cringe worthy and humorous. I do have to believe she is rather well paid though; she'd have to be to keep ahead of the ongoing destruction to her wardrobe.

The mystery plot itself is very well done. We have a man desperate to find his egg, a murder and many mysterious, shady dealings going down. Elliot is proactive and decisive, although oftentimes her progress is made in spite of herself, and I can think of at least one semi-TSTL moment. (I say "semi" because I sort of understood the assumptions she was acting on.) I can't say there were lots of suspects; there were enough, but the story itself was busy; there's a lot going on and I think the pacing kept me from ever really trying to figure out who the killer was. I just wanted to read what happened next. I stayed up way too late reading this book because I was having so much fun.

Ms. Lynn is a skilled writer and even though this is an arc, I found very few errors or even typo's. The book rarely dips its toes into the deeper emotions but when Elliot is confronted with the potential loss of a best friend, her fear and longing is clear. When she describes the death of her parents, it feels sincere, though never maudlin. But the clear focus of the writing is humour and it's done with a deft hand; light, believable and never slapstick, even when it could be and would be at the hands of another writer. Are there some magic saves here and there? Sure - Elliot saves the day at the very last second a couple of times, but I don't care if this is realistic or not. I want to believe it is.

So, this sounds like a 4.5/5 star review doesn't it? Well, I'm not giving it that last star because the author is toying with a love triangle and I don't like it. She's given me two very likeable men, both maybe vying for Elliot's attention. I don't want to watch this play out over the series - I hate love triangles. So I'm withholding that last star. A quick resolution and the same engaging, high quality storytelling will make the next book a certain 5 star read. I can't wait! show less