Series:
Mack's Bar (Book 1)
Mack's Bar is one of those nice, friendly places where
everybody knows your name. That's great when someone's buying you a round, but
not so hot when you find yourself atop a list of murder suspects--with your
fingerprints on the bloody knife!
Mackenzie "Mack" Dalton is a Milwaukee bar
owner with a nose for trouble--literally. A neurological glitch has left her
with extra perceptive senses. So when she stumbles upon a dead body in the
alley behind the bar--the same spot where her own father was shot eight months
earlier--she can tell right away there's something fishy in the air. The lead
detective thinks there's a link between the two deaths, and he'll need Mack's
help to sniff out the murderer amid the crowd of eccentric regulars. But when
all the evidence points to her as the most likely culprit, it could be an early
last call for Mack--and celebratory cocktails for a killer.
This was a fun book and introduction to the Mack's Bar
series. Mackenzie "Mack" owns the bar she inherited after her
father's murder a few months earlier. Matters become even more complicated when
she finds a dead body in the alley behind the bar, and the victim is her
father's former girlfriend.
Mack's life has not been an easy one. Her mother was
involved in an accident when she was pregnant with Mack and kept alive until
Mack's birth. The trauma inflicted on Mack left her with a neurological
disorder called synesthesia. This condition causes short circuits or crossed
wires in her senses so that she sees smells, tastes sounds, smells colors, etc.
It is something she's learned to live with, but it can be overwhelming in times
of stress. Since her father's death, several problems have caused Mack to lose
money, putting her in a difficult financial situation.
Duncan Albright is the lead detective on the murder case.
He is intrigued by Mack's condition and suspects that it could help solve
Ginny's murder. Because many of the leads point to Mack as the chief suspect in
the murder, he needs to keep an eye on her. But she is not the only suspect, as
any of her employees or patrons also had motive, means, and opportunity. He believes
there is a link between her father's and Ginny's murders. Duncan talks Mack
into letting him go undercover as a bartender so he can observe and investigate.
The only drawback is the attraction that flares between them and distracts them
from their goal.
The employees and patrons of the bar are a diverse and
quirky group. Their personalities are well-drawn and varied enough to keep them
straight. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing where each fell on the list
of suspects. Most of them have known Mack for a long time and don't believe she
is guilty. I loved seeing them come together to clear her name and their own.
I also liked the inclusion of the history of Milwaukee
and Al Capone. It added a little uniqueness to the setting, which otherwise
could have been any city. Mack's discovery of her father's interest in Capone
caused her to wonder if there was a connection between that interest and his
murder.
I loved following the investigation. It was a little
surprising that Duncan shared so much information with Mack since she was a primary
suspect in the murder. However, his instincts tell him that she is innocent. There
is another person that moves up the list when secrets about his life come to
light, but I felt that he was a little too obvious to be a real contender. The
tension continued to build as Duncan tried to narrow down the suspect list, and
Mack attempted to sort out her synesthetic reactions to the clues they found.
The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Mack stumbled on a secret room and
the murderer. I was on the edge of my seat as Mack fought for her life. While
the culprit was not a surprise, the motivations were interesting.
I liked Duncan's proposed partnership with Mack as a
"consultant" on future cases. I'm looking forward to more time spent
at Mack's, intriguing cases, and perhaps more about the chemistry between Mack
and Duncan.
No comments:
Post a Comment