MURDER PACKS A SUITCASE

Author: Cynthia Baxter ISBN: 9780553590357 11/2008 MYSTERY Publisher: BANTAM

Mallory Marlowe is ready to turn a corner—one lined with palm trees, plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments, and snack bars shaped like giant ice cream cones. Thanks to her new job as travel writer for the New York magazine The Good Life, recently widowed Mallory is zipping around Orlando, assigned to rediscover the glory days of “old Florida.” It’s the first of what she hopes will be many exciting adventures . . . but she’s about to discover that the Sunshine State has a dark side. Settled in among the faux volcanoes and tiki torches of the Polynesian Princess Hotel, Mallory is on the lookout for quirky attractions like alligator farms and pirate-themed diners hidden amid the glitzy theme parks. But she’s not prepared to find a cranky journalist speared to death in the Bali Ballroom—or to find herself a suspect in his murder. With her trip coming to a close, Mallory has no choice but to figure out if one of her fellow travel writers is a killer. Because if she doesn’t get out of Florida soon, her career—and her life—are about to come to a dead end.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Put a mature widow in amongst a bunch of young, twenty-something journalists who are all vying for one job at a New York magazine and just see who comes out on top. You guessed it, the older, more experienced woman got the position, and, in doing so, got more than she bargained for. But, as MURDER PACKS A SUITCASE shows, Mallory Marlowe is more than up to the challenge.

She secures a travel writing job and begins a new chapter in her life. Of course she wonders if she is up to the task, but she's always enjoyed family-style travel so Mallory leaves to find the "old" Florida with high hopes. When Phil Diamond, one of the writers on the press trip Mallory embarks on is murdered, there's hardly any sadness from anyone who knew him. Phil was rude, abrasive and unpleasant, and the trip seems better without him. But as soon as Mallory realizes she's on the list of suspects, she knows she had better try and figure out just what happened to the least-liked member of the group.

Wholly engaging, this story is a meandering sort that really makes the reader think. Red herrings, plot twists and an abundance of interesting characters make Mallory's sleuthing adventure a pleasure to read. I look forward to reading the second book in this series, due out in 2009.

Cynthia Baxter knows how to write a good mystery. MURDER PACKS A SUITCASE has gained her a new fan in this reviewer.

Kay James