Thank you to Rachel from rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Death of a Texan, a cozy mystery set in Costa Rica. This is the second book in the series following The Bellhop Only Stalks Once, published in August 2020. Death of a Texan A grieving widow. A sketchy admirer. An adoring boyfriend. But one of them is up to no good. Chloe's new life in Costa Rica seems perfect: her relationship with Mateo is heating up, and her career as a private investigator is off to a good start. She only wishes that her cases were more interesting than the lost dogs or cheating husbands she's been hired for so far… She gets her wish when a dead body lands, almost literally, at her feet. Hired by the highly strung Elena Vargas to follow her husband, Victor, Chloe discovers that not only was he cheating on his wife – he's been murdered. As Chloe delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Victor's death, she uncovers secret after secret. The danger becomes all too real when she narrows in on the killer's identity. Someone is following her everywhere, and threatening notes arrive on her doorstep. As if that's not bad enough, her relationship with Mateo begins to unravel, and his coworker, Jaime, seems intent on convincing her that Mateo is a cheater. Desperately trying to figure out what's going on, Chloe becomes more and more enmeshed in a sordid world of lies, sex, and murder. Who can Chloe really trust? And can she catch the killer before she becomes the next victim? Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/deathofatexan My thoughts: Death of a Texan is the second book in a series of dark and quirky cozy mysteries featuring Chloe, an American girl from Baltimore who settled down in Costa Rica and opened a PI agency. I could follow the story, as the author mentions Chloe's previous big case quite a lot. Still I think it is better to start from the beginning of the series in order to appreciate the development of significant relationships in Chloe's life. Life of a PI isn't all glamour. As Chloe finds out it involves lots of trivial cases, including tracing kidnapped chickens and checking out on erring husbands. On the other hand, these tend to be far less dangerous, if not slightly boring. That is until Chloe tries to get evidence of her client's husband's cheatingand finds his dead body instead. Chloe feels she owes her client Elena at least some kind of closure and enthusiastically continues her investigation which has turned into a murder case. Her loyal team Juan and Patty and her boyfriend Mateo are considerably less enthusiatic, as they feel Chloe might be getting into something which should be dealt by the police. It quickly becomes apparent that Victor Vargas's widow Elena is hiding some secrets of her own. There are also rumours of a serial killer on the loose and young women disappearing across several countries. The case keeps getting bigger and bigger. Can our fairly inexperienced PI handle it? The lead character Chloe is obviously going through a lot of soul-searching. Free-spirited and independent, she is still getting over her previous realationship with an overbearing and controlling ex. This means that she is mistrustful of anyone who tries to protect her, as she sees it as lack of confidence in her abilities. On top of that she is missing her best friend who obviously complimented Chloe's character in many ways. I don't want to give the story away, in case you want to start from Book 1. The writing was quite entertaining with a bit of quirky humour, perfect for a cozy mystery. I liked the location, although I can't say how faithful the place descriptions are, but it was interesting to see have an expat/protagonist, who has to rely on other people's useful contacts to get information. It was also very easy to follow the plot, despite some fairly unusual (ok, downright outlandish, to be honest) characters. Overall, it was an entertaining mystery with good pace and a lovely, somewhat stubborn protagonist, who is trying to work out what she wants and needs from various relationships in her life. I would like to read the next book in the series and see where Chloe ends up. Thank you to Rachel and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Author Bio Cat Hickey has a Master’s degree in Biology, and teaches Anatomy and Physiology at a university in Baltimore, MD, USA. She writes light-hearted mysteries and thrillers that are based, partly, on her extensive travels around the world. She is also an avid yogi who teaches aerial yoga and practices aerial circus arts, and spends the rest of her time with her three rescue animals, which consist of three cats and a horse. Social Media Links – www.facebook/cathickey https://twitter.com/CatHickey4 Thank you for reading the post!
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