Setting - Martinique
Independently Published
Publication Date: November 25, 2022
ISBN-13: 979-8364720542
ISBN-13: 979-8360529972
These honest and generous partners of crime-solving are experienced members in obtaining the proof they need to arrive at and protect the truth. Keeping her anxieties and panic attacks in check with the help of her service animal, Whisky is determined to dive into a variety of guilty-looking suspects, analyzing, scrutinizing, and, outsmarting all the ways the villain, the killer, is trying to get away with the clever crime.
Secret undercover work, hidden riddles, challenging puzzles, unique perilous and dangerous situations are all up against Whisky. But along with some banter and comic relief situations with her sidekick partner, our worthy and reliable hero will lead the way and do what it takes to get the job done. With twists, turns, swerves, and contorts, this resolute private investigator plunges into the depths of Martinique, coming up for air in an unforgettable ending.
Whisky Hernandez is the first book in J.S. Mason’s new cozy mystery series featuring the clever female private eye of the title, her loyal and glib sidekick, Bass, and an emotional support pig named Vermouth. The story starts out strongly, and through a well-executed investigation, Whisky reveals the perpetrator within the required time limit set by the local police.
The main character is Whisky Hernandez, a great name for a clever and capable detective in a cozy mystery that sometimes leans toward the noir. There is an interesting explanation for the first name that you’ll need to read the book to discover, though. Suffice it to say, it is understandable and apropos. I had a little trouble warming up to the woman, mainly due to how she blithely and undeservedly jumped the long check-in line at the airport and, frankly, took advantage of the airport staff, but I slowly came around. Her life is still somewhat unknown, even by the end of the book, with lots of room for growth in future adventures, especially with hints dropped here and there about a previous case that went south and a bad blood between her and a sibling. I quite enjoyed the brief appearances by her mother, father, and fiancé and look forward to hearing more about them down the road. Her sidekick, Sebastian “Bass” Von Giano, was fun and always had her back.
The setting for the murder mystery is the French island of Martinique, and the author does a fantastic job of creating a flower-festooned paradise. I don’t know if the activities, sightseeing opportunities, food, or tourist destinations are real, but I certainly hope they are. The author made this location sound like a great place to visit.
All the extras aside, the plot is the foundation for everything, and it is intriguing, with many interesting details slipped in along the way to point to some very good suspects. Whisky and Bass methodically interview the potential perpetrators identified by RD, the local police official in charge of the case. They successfully suss out a couple of surprise suspects on their own. I thought RD handled the unwanted reinforcements from the U.S. as well as could be expected. He was upfront about his natural and understandable objections to having these two outsiders foisted on him. I wasn’t too surprised when he and Whisky conducted independent investigations rather than joining resources. I was pleased with the resolution. Underneath a fairly complex setup, the motive for murder turned out to be a common one.
I read the current version of this book that is for sale on Amazon, and there are quite a few errors in the text that an editor should have corrected: incorrect word choices were by far the most common and included homophone confusion (feint when it should be faint, reign when it should have been rein.) There were a couple of continuity problems (i.e., an interview on one day but referred to as happening on another.) Personally, I had trouble accepting “attack” snakes and the need to drag poor little Vermouth around while investigating. They may be small things, but they added up over the entire novel and ultimately drew me out of the story. Still, this will not stop me from purchasing the next book in the series.
With its intriguing murder mystery and investigation in the
paradise location, I recommend WHISKY HERNANDEZ to cozy mystery readers, especially
those who enjoy fun dialogue and observations, tiny pig companions, and exotic
island settings.
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