The back yard is full of balloons and streamers, and a piñata hangs from a tree branch, circling lazily in the breeze. But beneath the table of party food, a body lies half-covered by a brightly coloured tablecloth, blood seeping onto the floor…
A child’s birthday party ends in chaos when one of the parents is found brutally beaten to death. With no way for anyone to leave unnoticed, it’s clear the killer must be another guest, but with twenty high-spirited children as a distraction, anyone might have had the opportunity to slip away from the rest of the party.
Detective Meredith Somerset soon discovers the victim had no shortage of enemies, and everyone has a potential motive. Fractured marriages, jealousy and betrayals all come to light but Meredith can’t seem to cut through the lies and find the truth.
When another party-goer disappears Meredith knows the clock is ticking before the killer strikes again. But when everyone has a motive, how can she be sure who was the one who struck the fatal blow? Who is innocent—and who is out for blood?
My thoughts: Detective Meredith Somerset is back. She’s still following the clues to her sister’s kidnapping, still keeping her investigation a secret from everyone but needs to put it to one side as she and partner Tyler need to look into the violent murder of a man at a children’s party.
Everyone is keeping secrets – the wife, the employees, the former business partner, and some of those secrets are worth killing for. There’s an entire nest of snakes to sort through and find the venomous one.
Tyler’s sister Hannah isn’t doing too well, and he’s a bit distracted too. Otherwise he might have spotted Meredith’s rising paranoia before her daughter does. Things are coming to a head and Meredith needs to start talking.
There’s a lot happening here and it’s really interesting, the character development is great, to be honest Tyler and Meredith’s lives are far more intriguing than the case they’re on. Next book I want more of the detectives and fewer murders!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 