Thursday, July 28, 2022

Coached Red-Handed

Title: Coached Red-Handed
Author: Victoria Laurie
Published: July 26th 2022 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Life Coach Mystery #4

First Sentence: I watched through the kitchen window as, across the drive, in the doorway of my guesthouse, Gilley signed for the package brought by certified mail, delivered to him by the postman.

Blurb: With Gilley heartbroken over the collapse of his marriage, Cat has the perfect remedy—a three-week-long getaway to Italy. But before the duo can pack their bags and sip prosecco on the sunny riviera, they first must help a troubled client carve out a fresh start of her own. Wealthy Scarlet Rubi desperately seeks a greater purpose and immediate distance from her toxic descendants. The urgency of the situation isn’t quite so clear until Scarlet takes healthy steps towards progress, only to turn up dead . . .

The matriarch of a wealthy family has been murdered in her home after finding a new lease on life. Cat’s suspicions deepen when she discovers Scarlet was set on cutting off her children and grandchildren, each one more money-hungry and dependent on financial support than the last. As Cat and Gilley investigate a slew of sketchy alibis and concrete motives from the corrupt Rubi clan while preparing to leave the East End for Europe, they soon realize the question isn’t who had a deadly vendetta against Scarlet—it’s who didn’t?

My Opinion: Coached Red-Handed is a straight-line mystery. No legitimate (Cat and boyfriend Shep seem old hat after three books) subplots, and a who-done-it that was an easy guess from the beginning. But I must admit – I didn’t figure in the Robocop aspect. The only redeeming factor is Gilley. His humor and kindness are what held this book together.

As for the ending, I can understand Cat’s apprehension, but walking away could add a new dimension, and new characters, to a series that is too cookie cutter.

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