Felicia Watson

"Hang on to your hats! We're in for a hell of a ride!" This may be a cliche, but it aptly describes the latest by Felicia Watson. Lucia Scafetti, is a private eye, whose life seems to be stuck in a rut. Living in her office with her dachshund, Rocco, to save money and missing her late partner, she fills her days following wayward husbands, whose wives have hired her to confirm their fears. But, Lucia is no ordinary PI, since she is also a member of a Philadelphia crime family, from whom she is trying to distance herself. Life is going to change a lot for Lucia!
Downstairs in her building, which is mainly deserted, new tenants are moving in, two Latino lawyers. Lucia's mother is coming to town and demanding that Lucia attend the family Sunday dinner at her aunt's. The family is awaiting the release of her father, Carlo, who has been serving 20 years in prison for robbery.
Problems begin at the family dinner, when Carlo can not find a scapular. When he goes missing, the body count rises as everyone is looking for the scapular which is the key to missing, stolen gold coins and a diamond. The search becomes more intense, when Lucia discovers her father's body, literally swimming with the fishes and her beloved Rocco is kidnapped. Lucia, herself, becomes a suspect when the bodies all have the same MO, killed by a shot through the left eye. Will the mysterious assassin called the Loon be the key?
This book has everything you could wish for in a good mystery, a strong female heroine, a cast of quirky characters, a cute little dog, stolen loot, murders galore, kidnappings, romance, non-stop action with twists and turns, a surprise ending... and a moral. No matter how bad your family is and how estranged they are, they will always be there for you when you need them the most.… (mehr)

Might contain light spoilers.

What a fantastic read!

Two very different men meet in a very unlikely scenario for romance, but fall in love slowly and beautifully against all odds.
Nick who is openly gay is a counselor for abuse victims, when he meets Logan, who is a convicted abuser (of his wife). Both have unresolved issues, but Logan was the one who really touched me. It was hard in the beginning to overcome the violence he committed in the beginning, but with the course of his story and his development he became a complex and very likable character - not perfect, far away from that - but striving to make amends. Vulnerable and struggling, but also brave enough to fight his way through his coming out.

The way Logan tried to resist the attraction in the beginning, the euphoria he felt when he connected with Nick made for a very engaging romance.

I also loved the citations before each chapter - normally I don't appreciate this much, but here the pieces were brilliant and well chosen.

Absolutely recommended - I can only repeat, a fantastic read.… (mehr)