PELICAN BAY

Author: Charlotte Douglas ISBN: 0373230397 8/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARLEQUIN/NEXT

Witty and irreverent homicide detective Maggie Skerritt liked her quiet, sleepy workdays. Violence in Pelican Bay, Florida, was rarely an issue, and Maggie certainly wasn't itching for the tide to change. And then the murders began. Maintaining a professional distance had always been Maggie's M.O., but the more she learned about the homicide victims, the less sleep she got. Each woman had started to get her life back on track—something Maggie had been meaning to do for years. It was a wake-up call—and Maggie was more determined, once she solved the case, to reevaluate her own life. Especially her relationship with a certain former detective...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The cozy world of Pelican Bay, Florida is changing as a series of home invasions and other unusual crimes unsettle the town. Maggie Skerritt, a police detective, finds her life spinning out of control as the caseload eats up her days. At forty-eight she's had a full career but can't figure out how to move on. A former big city cop, she came to this small town to slow down, but instead she's breaking out in hives as her department comes under fire. Not only that, there's a serial killer on the loose and no obvious suspects.

With unwanted family obligations and increasing professional pressure wreaking havoc with her health, she turns to Bill Malcolm, a retired police officer who was once her partner on the job. She enlists him in her police work and allows him to take care of her when she's exhausted, but can't take his marriage proposals seriously. They are the best friends, but can either of them commit to a future?

Veteran author Charlotte Douglas offers us a pleasant read, with a splendid evocation of small town Florida life vanishing under the tide of new residents. The book fits nicely into a Harlequin line that showcases life after the romance novel part is over. I wasn't expecting the debut of a reoccurring mystery sleuth in Next, but it's a great idea. Any mystery lover or women's fiction reader will enjoy this book. I'm curious to see what Next will have for us next.

Heather Hiestand