Murder of a Small-Town Honey

I'm currently reading the first book in the "Scumble River" mystery series called "Murder of a Small-Town Honey" by Denise Swanson. This series is new to me, and was probably one of those that Amazon.com recommended based on my purchase history. So far I'm about half-way done and I've been enjoying this book. There have not been any "Laugh Out Loud" moments, but that's OK.

The female sleuth's name is Skye Denison, and Scumble River is the small town in Illinois she is from. She is a school psychologist and has recently moved back home after losing her job and boyfriend in New Orleans.

Skye stumbles upon a dead body and is shocked to learn that it was a woman by the name of Honey Adiar, who used to date Skye's older brother Vince in high school. Vince tells Skye that Honey claims to have had his son, and was asking him for money. (Sounds like blackmail to me!) The police think Vince killed Honey. He claims not and Skye believes him.

Skye's mother May works as a part-time dispatcher for the local police station. She is the one who calls Skye to let her know Vince was arrested. She wants Skye to find out who the real killer is. May thinks that Skye's background as a psychologist will be helpful - that people will open up to her.

The relationship between Skye and her mother is interesting. They love each other but get on each other's nerves. I thought it was interesting that May wanted her to get involved. Typically a mother would not want her daughter trying to solve a murder mystery, so this is an interesting twist.

Skye is smart, and does a good job of handling people and knows what to tactfully say in tough situations, although she does have to bite her tongue a few times. A good role model for all of us!

(Photo courtesy Ebay)