Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The Bequest: A Nicole Graves Mystery


I hope everyone is having a lovely week.  It has been exceptionally hot and humid in my area (Tampa Bay area of Florida).  Since my hot flashes (related to my Fibromyalgia) have increased (lucky me), I am staying indoors as much as possible.  The dogs agree with me about the heat.  They go outside, do their business and rush back indoors. I will be glad when it gets cooler in November.  

The Bequest by Nancy Boyarsky is the second book in A Nicole Graves Mystery series.  Nicole Graves has just returned from London where her boyfriend, Ronald Reinhardt failed to show up for their rendezvous.  Nicole goes to the law office of Bascomb, Rice, Smith and Di Angelo, where she is the office manager, and is informed that Robert Blair, the in-house investigator, has been MIA.  Nicole heads to Robert’s house to check on him.  She finds his very expensive home unlocked and Robert with a bullet through his forehead.  Nicole was friendly with Robert, but they were not close or so Nicole thought.  The police find pictures of Nicole in Robert’s bedroom that indicate they had an intimate relationship.  Detective Frank Miller believes Nicole is withholding information and is guilty of Robert’s death.  Then the beneficiary of Robert’s vast estate and life insurance policy is revealed.  The paparazzi turn out in droves and Nicole is soon unable to move without being photographed.  After an attempt on her life, Nicole decides to disappear and discover who killed Robert on her own.  What was Robert involved in?  Where did her get his wealth?  Nicole intends to get answers and clear her name.   Will Nicole discover the killer’s identity or will Nicole become another casualty? 

The Bequest is easy to read and has a nice pace.  Most of the action takes place in the last 40% of the book (the pace picks up a little).  While The Bequest is the second book in A Nicole Graves Mystery series, it can be read alone (though I recommend The Swap).  What happened in The Swap is summarized (rehashed) in The Bequest.  Personally, I enjoyed The Swap (which is currently $1.99 on Amazon--the kindle version) more than The Bequest.  I thought this second installment was a letdown.  The romance and mystery competed for dominance in the story.  Nicole has a new love interest, and she is wasting no time with this new fellow (Reinhardt should have responded to her messages).  I wish the romance had been turned down a few notches (it was too much for a mystery novel).  The mystery was interesting (parts were unrealistic though), but not compelling.  I correctly identified the guilty parties early in the book.  I kept hoping there would be a good twist to surprise me (maybe I have read too many mystery/suspense novels).  My rating for The Bequest is 3 out of 5 stars.  I found there to be a repetition of details (especially about Reinhardt).  For some reason, we are given a description of all food items (every single thing at each meal).  I wanted to feel the suspense and I did not.  The Bequest is a good story that many readers will enjoy, but it could have been a great story with some changes.  

Thank you for your visit.  I will be reviewing Wives of War by Soraya Lane on Thursday.  May each of you have a fabulous Wednesday.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

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