Entrapped (Stonehaven Mysteries, #2) by Linn Chapel

Entrapped by Linn Chapel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A delightful follow-up to The Gargoyle's Secret!

Photojournalist Laurel Bachmann is on assignment in Bar Harbor, Maine, again, and to be polite, she contacts Serena Chevalier, her former boyfriend's mother, just to let her know she's back in the area. Laurel and Marc Chevalier had parted ways during the previous year because Laurel believed she wanted a safer, steadier future than the one Marc could offer. However, Serena still has matchmaking on her mind. She immediately invites Laurel, her father, and her father's friend, Stanley, traveling with them on this working vacation, to dinner at the remote family estate.

When Laurel and her companions arrive, she discovers Marc laid out cold on the floor of his workshop, the victim of a random attack or attempted murder no one knows. She helps him back on his feet, and they find out that they both are involved in the upcoming music festival Laurel is there to cover. Marc is restoring some important garden sculptures in preparation for the big event.

The next day they meet up with each other on the mainland at the estate hosting the festival, and as Marc is reinstalling the final sculpture in the home's beautiful garden, Laurel discovers the dead body of the estate's owner. Worried the death may be related to the rumor that someone is murdering the owners of the grand old estates in the area and fearing for Serena, Laurel and Marc decide to investigate on their own.

Entrapped is the entertaining sequel to The Gargoyle's Secret, book one in Linn Chapel's delightful Stonehaven Mysteries series. Picking up almost a year after the previous novel's events, Laurel and Marc have sadly gone their separate ways though they are clearly still in love. Watching his mother's attempts to get the two back together was great fun, and I was behind her efforts all the way. You can't help but feel for Laurel and her fears for the future, though.

The mystery quickly gives you several good suspects, and I enjoyed discovering who the murderer really was. An exciting chain of events ensues from the discovery of the culprit to the finale.

As Entrapped's story builds on details revealed in book one, I recommend reading The Gargoyle's Secret first. It was a great story, too. Readers who enjoyed the series premiere will also enjoy this sequel. This series is for cozy mystery readers who enjoy a paranormal element in their stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Book Sirens.

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