Saturday, August 1, 2015

Midnight on the Mississippi (Secrets of the South Mystery #1) by Mary Ellis













Title: Midnight on the Mississippi (Secrets of the South Mystery #1)
Author: Mary Ellis
Pages: 352
Release Date: August 1, 2015
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Format: eBook (also available in paperback)
Note: I received a free eBook copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the book:

     Midnight on the Mississippi begins the new Secrets of the South Mysteries from bestselling author Mary Ellis. These complex crime dramas follow an investigator’s quest to make the world a better place . . . solving one case at a time.

     New Orleans – Hunter Galen, a stock and securities broker, suspects his business partner, James Nowak, may be involved in embezzling their clients’ money, but he’s reluctant to jeopardize their friendship based on suspicion alone. After James turns up dead, Hunter realizes his unwillingness to confront a problem may have cost James his life.

     Nicki Price, a newly minted PI, intends to solve the stockbroker’s murder, recover the missing millions from the client accounts, and establish herself in the career she adores. As she ferrets out fraud and deception at Galen Investments, Hunter’s fiancĂ©e, Ashley Menard, rubs Nicki the wrong way. Nicki doesn’t trust the ostentatious woman with an agenda longer than the Mississippi River. Ashley seems to be hiding something, but is Nicki’s growing attraction to Hunter – a suspected murderer – her true reason for disliking Ashley?

     As they encounter sophisticated shell games, blackmail, and murder, Nicki and Hunter’s only option is to turn to God as they search for answers, elude lethal danger, and perhaps discover love along the way.

My review:

     This is an absolutely incredible mystery!

     I love both Nicki Price and Hunter Galen. They are fabulous characters and a perfect example of the saying, “opposites attract.” I can’t imagine two people that are more different than these two.

     Nicki is carrying some pretty heavy baggage from her childhood that she has to face. She also has a long-ago mystery that she is trying to solve in the midst of the current case. If she can solve it she may go a long way in dealing with this personal baggage.

     There is a large group of secondary characters, some of which are very colorful. The variety of personalities was great. Whenever a new person was introduced I never knew what to expect.

     The story was wonderful. There were so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing up to the final showdown.

     I was very pleased with Nicki’s belief in God and her openly declared moral values. It was a breath of fresh air for me. At the same time it was never preachy.

     This is the first book that I have ever read by Mary Ellis. I enjoyed it so much that I will be looking for more of her books. I am highly recommending it and giving it a 5 star rating.

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