Review of Cliff Hanger: MJB Reviewers

This review first appeared on MJB Reviewers on July 18, 2019

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and those descriptions pulled me into the story right away.  I loved the descriptions of the Monterey Bay area and I enjoyed reading about all of the marine life that they saw. And I really liked all the tips that the author supplied at the beginning of each chapter, they were varied and useful ideas.

I have read all the books in this series and I have enjoyed them all.  I did enjoy this book but it seemed a little unbelievable to me. I found it hard to believe that Maggie’s sons would be held responsible for the man’s death, all they did was call for help and stay with the victim.  And the boys were portrayed as much older than they really are (they acted like college kids to me). And the fact that this family has such close ties to law enforcement that any theory they came up with, and there were some outlandish ones, could be checked out by someone the family knew. That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me.  

I do enjoy the fact that the protagonist has a family, because so many of the cozies I read have single heroines that have friends for support.  The family group is refreshing and I really like that.  It made it more realistic to me, Maggie having a family and having the responsibilities of all parents.

The mystery was well plotted and complex.  There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider and it was not easily solved.  There were enough red herrings thrown in and twists and turns that sometimes I felt like I was on a rollercoaster, which is a good thing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy.  I will definitely read the next one in the series when it is released.  Whenever I see there is a new book in the series, I know I am in for a treat.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.