Best Practices by Gwen Florio is book number three in the Nora Best Mystery series. Set in the hidden mountains of Montana, Nora finds herself working as a housemother at a "ranch" for rich teenage girls who have behavior and addiction issues. Nora also assumes other duties as assigned as the PR representative for the ranch after one young woman commits suicide. It is essential that readers begin with book one of this series and not dive in at book three--there are multiple references to previous events that happened in the first two books of the series. Book three, though, will have readers looking over their shoulders to see what is lurking.

Thank you to Severn House, Gwen Florio, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review


“Maybe she was doing the wrong thing, but that was the way she was.”

― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

Serendipity Ranch. A place for young, rich and privileged teenagers to go when their parents can’t handle them anymore. This book is the third in a series featuring Nora Best, former PR professional turned detective. This novel is the third in the series, though I did not find it necessary to read the first two, though there are several mentions of what happened before. Nora is on the road in her beloved Airstream trailer with her cat Mooch and dog Murph. While she is waiting for a large insurance settlement to come through, she has to find a way to make ends meet financially. While driving in Michigan, she sees what could be a kidnapping, but as it turns out, it is a wealthy family shipping their daughter off to a reform camp. When she gets a random call from the director of a place called Serendipity Ranch, she answers the call and finds herself with a job as a housemother at a reform school for girls in the woods of Northern Montana. They market the camp to wealthy parents as a place to send their daughters, when they cannot be handled at home. Soon after taking the position, Nora finds that all is not right at Serendipity Ranch. There is a much darker side to the reform school and the directors that own it, and she may be in danger.

In order to enjoy this page-turner, you must suspend belief that these things could actually happen and also realize that Nora is not an actual detective. When Nora takes this job, she is broke, struggling to even fill her airstream with gas. So when we wonder in the book why she would put up with what she does, money is a motivating factor. There are several references to what happened in the previous two books, and we know she has been through some trauma. Nora also seems incredibly naïve in this situation. The reader is left wondering if she is really so naïve or desperate for money. After she starts her new job, she realizes a student has committed suicide, and another teacher is missing under suspicious circumstances. Then she sees the girls are essentially being tortured with minimal food, slave labor, and sensory deprivation. But there is no one to complain to. The police in the small town in Montana don’t listen, as they are tired of the girls escaping and causing trouble in the town.

Nora is a very likable character with her dog and cat, witty, and kind. This is not an exciting book, but it does become rather suspenseful at the end. There are so many great things such as girl power, romance and action that make this book extremely readable. It is a solid mystery and I will definitely go back and read the first two books.

Serendipity Ranch is meant to be a second chance experience for "troubled" teen girls but Nora thinks there's something more to it, especially after two suicides. She's taken a short term job there to support herself, her cat Mooch and her dog Mungo, while she waits for an insurance payment - she's recent widow. And it's nice to settle for a bit, no matter how much she likes her Airstream. Poking around in the practices at the ranch is poking a dragon, as she quickly finds out but she's intrepid and determined to make sure the young women are protected. There's a lot packed in here but the topical plot is well done. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

So this is book three in this series featuring Nora Best, I haven't read the previous two in the series but I felt that this book gave enough reference to the background of Nora to be able to follow the character and her plight.

This book is centred around Nora's employment as a housemother at serendipity ranch where entitled troubled girls are sent at the expense of their families to rid them of their unwanted traits and behaviours.

Nora starts to become concerned with the unorthodox practices and treatment of the girls especially when a past patient and teacher end their life due to their troubled minds.

Nora an unlikely heroine and a very likeable character an enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion.

Giving this five stars purely for the stress. I love a good manipulation — ironic, since that’s what the girls at the ranch at the center of the book are most often accused of.

Despite not having read this first books in this series, I quickly became a fan of Nora. Here’s to more heroines in that place between mother and crone, esp. those who are slow runners and have senior dogs! (Yes, yes, I am very biased here.) When life throws her lemons, she makes wine. I appreciated the character’s tenacity — even as she made some truly questionable decisions about who to trust.

Like most mysteries, it’s *best practice* to suspend some disbelief and not get too bogged down in the details. I feel like I need a a camping trip away from it all myself after getting so into the drama. I will be looking up the other books in this series for sure.

Thank you Severn House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

THIS IS A HONDA CIVIC RELIABLE THREE STARS. THIS IS NOT A BAD BOOK.

Writing: vocab on 100/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 3/5

THE PLOT

Nora Best is given a fresh start as a glorified babysitter at a private school of sorts of "out of control" teen girls. With two suspicious suicides in a short span of time, Nora decides to go full Nancy Drew and figure out what's up.

MY OPINION

Let me reiterate: this is a Honda Civic reliable read. Need a palate cleanser after finishing a book that emotionally wrecked you? On a DNF streak and need something tolerable and easy to read? THIS IS THE BOOK. You've got wholesome Nora armed with her great sense of humour, golden heart, and her two furry sidekicks. You've got a "ranch" full of drama and peak cattiness. You've got girl power. You've got intrigue. You've got romance. You've got action. You've got serious topics handled with sensitivity. And you will surely learn a new word or two because Florio was using all types of fancy dancy words. (Also tbh my vocab is limited... case in point: "fancy dancy").

Yes you must suspend disbelief—this is a citizens gone rogue story. And the reason this wasn't an upgraded Honda Civic reliable read is because Nora did have some obtuse/questionable moments and the last 20% of the book was doing a bit much. But my complaints are minimal. This was an enjoyable lil read.

PROS AND CONS

PROS: learned a lot of new words lol, funny, wholesome, Nora's character didn't grate me, I don't usually like the private school setting but this was enjoyable and handled well, loved the lil feminist moments

Cons: last 20% was doing too much

While this book is third in the series, it's not necessary to read #1 and #2 first. Nora Best is a former public relations person who has left the field and traveling with her pets in her camper. Following the death of her husband, Nora is floundering and nearly broke. She takes a role with a ranch founded for troubled teenage girls. At the ranch, Nora is concerned by the programming and treatment of the girls. When she learns about multiple deaths associated with the ranch, Nora knows something is very, very wrong. If you like a strong heroine, a mystery thriller set in the midwest or just a story about a woman making her way, then Best Practices is for you!
#BestPractices #netgalley #Netgalletreads #severn

This book is the third in a series featuring Nora Best, former PR professional turned de facto detective. Despite being the third in a series, there's enough backstory here to inform any reader who hasn't read the first two (I am such a reader) without bogging down the story in unnecessary detail. Having resolved some issues that drove the story in the first two books, Nora is on the road in her beloved Airstream trailer with her cat Mooch and dog Murph, trying to find a way to make ends meet financially until an expected insurance settlement comes through. While in the Midwest she spots what she thinks is a kidnapping, but turns out to be a teenage delinquent being shipped off to a reform facility by her wealthy parents. A few weeks later, Nora finds herself working as a house mother at a reform camp deep in the woods of northwest Montana. This camp, Serendipity Ranch, is marketed to the wealthy parents of America as the ideal place to send their wayward daughters to be managed back into sweetness and obedience... but what Nora uncovers there points to a much darker side to Serendipity Ranch, to the couple that run the place, and to the entire reformation industry as well.

What a page-turner! I couldn't put this one down. At times I was frustrated with Nora's attitude toward the girls she was charged with supervising and toward her male coworkers; after everything she had been through in the first two books (alluded to several times with enough detail to get the point that she'd been through some traumatic experiences) it disappointed me that she seemed to be so naive at times. But to be fair, she's not actually a detective, and her attitudes and beliefs were completely in line with what I'd expect from an average real person in her situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this book!

I really enjoyed this book! It was gripping, and it kept me glued to the edge of my seat the whole time.

Great mystery read, great leading detective, and great setting! Nora Best starts to work at a Montana wilderness program for troubled girls, However, things are not what they appear to be, and she quickly realizes a girl has died under suspicious circumstances. Soon, more suspicious things happen, and Nora must help the girls quickly, before it is too late for all of them. Recommended for those who value female empowerment and rugged wilderness stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!