Tuesday, August 8, 2017

All Signs Point to Murder: A Zodiac Mystery


All Signs Point to Murder by Connie di Marco is the second novel in A Zodiac Mystery series.  Julia Bonatti is a bridesmaid in her friend, Geneva Leary’s wedding.  The wedding is about to start, but no one can find Moira, Geneva’s sister.  The wedding proceeds without the missing bridesmaid and goes off without a hitch.  After the ceremony, Moira is found collapsed at the bottom of a set of stairs.  She claims she was not drunk this time (sound suspicious).  During the dancing, Sally Stark, the wedding planner, collapses on the dance floor.  Moira states it was supposed to be her.  Geneva’s marriage is starting off with a bang.  Julia is sleeping at the Brooke Leary Ramer’s house when she hears shots ring out.  She heads downstairs and Rob Ramer enters the house from the garage.  Rob states he shot an intruder.  Julia enters the garage and finds a hooded figure on the floor—it is Moira.  Moira dies before reaching the hospital.  Geneva asks Julia to investigate Moira’s death.  Someone, though, does not appreciate Julia’s meddling.   Julia uses her astrological knowledge to help her uncover the facts and determine what happened to Moira.  Will the killer let her share her knowledge with the police or will Julia end up the next victim?

All Signs Point to Murder may be the second book in A Zodiac Mystery series, but it can be read alone.  All Signs Point to Murder is easy to read except for the astrological sections.  The information provided is not written in a way for lay people to understand (the terms are not explained).  It was gobbledygook to me.  I do, though, like that Julia uses astrological information to solve crimes.  It is unique.  I just wish it was written in a way that was easier to understand (for people not familiar with astrology).  The mystery is intriguing and slightly complex.  Unfortunately, I identified the guilty parties (and the victim) before Moira was pronounced dead.  I believe many readers, though, will be surprised.  The reason why Moira was killed is what kept me reading.  My rating for All Signs Point to Murder is 3 out of 5 stars.  I do feel that the author included too much detail.   Julia hunting for parking spots, walking instead of driving to avoid hunting for a parking spot (it must be difficult to park in San Francisco), the cost of parking in San Francisco, looking through each item in Moira’s apartment, the size of the goose egg on her head, etc.  It was nice to see Cheryl (from The Madness to Mercury) get a happy outcome.  Will I read the next book in A Zodiac Mystery series?  I am undecided.  It will depend on the mystery in the next installment.  The first book in the series is The Madness to Mercury.

I appreciate you reading my latest review.  I will be sharing my thoughts on The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling next time.  May each of you have a very pleasant day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

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