Evelyn Murphy, daughter of the Pinnacle Hotel owner, has just successfully thrown a big fundraiser for the reelection campaign of New York’s mayor. To celebrate, her steady beau Malcolm Cooper plans to drive them both to his place in Yonkers. Unfortunately, the two get no further than the Pinnacle parking garage when they discover the dead body of Judge Baker.
Detective Hodgson arrives with his new partner Detective McJimsey, who immediately suspects Evelyn. He takes her into custody when a woman is found in the boot of the car and has a terrifying reaction to what is assumed Evelyn’s presence. However, Evelyn is released immediately and is picked up by her usually absent father.
Evelyn knows she has a mystery solve, but she also now has to contend with her father, who insists she breaks off her relationship with Mac. She refuses and both go to bed, but Evelyn finds her father in the morning having been attacked similar to Judge Baker. There’s also a dead woman in his closet.
Now Mac is in the detectives’ crosshairs, and Evelyn must continue the investigation on her own.
Evelyn continues to grow into a person who understands her advantages. This growth is tested in so many ways, but Evelyn wades into everything with all of the charm expected of a socialite. It is her emotional state, the anxiety and agoraphobia, however that make her a more realistic character. Her daddy issues give the story an Orphan Annie vibe that weaves through the storyline seamlessly.
I hate Evelyn’s father. I didn’t feel much about him in the first novel, because he was never around. However, now he is part of the mystery and I really rooted for the murderer. I wanted so badly for him to have a personality change and yet that didn’t happen. I will also say that I threw the book (not really because it's on my phone, but you understand what I mean), because of two scenes at the end. Just sheer frustration that I hope is resolved in the next book.
The action starts as soon as the book begins, which I appreciated. I love novels that get to the main plot line quickly. This also made the pace for the novel steady and smooth. The mystery, for the most part, was solid, but I knew who the murderer was right away. I continued reading to discover the why because that was not obvious. Once the explanation was given, it was like a duh moment. Of course that’s why everything happened.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
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