“River City Dead” An Aggie Mundeen Mystery By Nancy G. West

by Cynthia Chow

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review.

San Antonio’s Fiesta Week would not seem to be the ideal, romantic rendezvous for a brand new couple, but Aggie Mundeen and San Antonio Police Department Detective Sam Vanderhoven have a lot of years and even more baggage between them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though the previous guest in the penthouse suite Sam had reserved at the Casa Prima River Walk Hotel will be checking out any time soon. An annual visitor to Fiesta Week, Monica Peters has checked in for the last time as it is her poisoned body that a maid discovers lying on the sofa. With the hotel fully booked for the celebrations and Sam called into the investigation, it looks as though the romantic vacation has been reduced to separate rooms barely bigger than closets. Even worse is that the dead woman was the ex-daughter-in-law of Grace, Aggie’s neighbor and a good friend.

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Aggie’s previous interference in police matters has been a considerable roadblock in her and Sam’s relationship, and matters come to a head when Aggie is unable to sit on the sidelines of Sam’s investigation. For him it is an issue of Aggie having to trust Sam’s competence in his profession, while Aggie feels that he should trust her intelligence and skill at discovering information through unofficial means. Those talents come to light when she meets the Fabulous Femmes, a branch of a philanthropic women’s organization that travels together as they support causes while having fun. Aggie learns Monica was a Flamboyant, one of the off-shoots of the Fabulous Femmes, and well-known among the women and their accompanying dates. A young army veteran herself, Monica had a predilection for dating military officers, and with four military bases in the area there is no small number of possible broken hearts and suspects.

Image source: Henery Press

Although Aggie pens a “Stay Young with Aggie” advice column for the Flash-News, here her queries concern universal matters of the heart. Her responses mirror the same issues she is facing in her own life, namely whether or not she can maintain her independence and identity in a fully committed relationship. For Sam, who alternates narrated chapters with Aggie, the contention comes down to whether Aggie realizes how her activities could affect his official investigation. The impetuous Aggie leads with her heart more than her head, which has her stealing keys, breaking into rooms, and taking short-cuts to speed up justice. If staying youthful continues to be Aggie’s obsession, she already has the headstrong impulsiveness of a teenager. Her antics with the outgoing Madhatters, Flamboyants, and Foxy Fitis serve as hilarious examples that women can be strong, outgoing, and outrageous at any age.

This book was published by Henery Press. To learn more about their books check out their website: henerypress.com.

To enter to win a copy of River City Dead, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “river,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 21, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please included your mailing address.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.