(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sergeant Petra Minx of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is ecstatic when her quirky boss, A.K., orders her to catch the next plane to the Bahamas to meet the legendary Betty Graceby, a retired Canadian singer and ex-Vegas dancer. The complaints Betty has been filing against her rowdy and unpleasant grandson Ken have finally caught the attention of the authorities. But why the sudden interest?
Martin, an investigative journalist with a great nose for a story, has heard rumours of a major new arts centre to be financed by an anonymous benefactor… and Betty’s fortune has tripled since the death of her husband, Joe LePinto, who was killed in a car being driven by her smooth-talking son Cliff. So is money the key, and how far will the Graceby ‘boys’ go to secure their future?
As the action moves from Nassau to Las Vegas and on to the Great Lakes of North America, Petra develops a deep affection for Betty and her simple fact-finding mission becomes much more personal. She uncovers a viper’s nest of hatred, greed, treachery and lust and comes to understand that LePinto’s influence is as pervasive in death as it was in life. The dead man’s legacy is a weighty one...

*2.5 stars*

This book was a bit of a jumble. There is a really good story buried here, but it is held down by the
weight of all the characters and the jumping from one location to another. This book is less than 300 pages and I think that is too short to try and tell such a story with a wide scope like this. Just the removal of one continent-jump would have removed a number of characters and really focused the story a little more.

Having said all that, I will give this author another chance cos, as I said, I am pretty sure there is a good novel here - just hope the next one is a little more plot focused and not character-heavy.


Paul
ARH