Book 72, 2021

[chez_jae]

Hurricane Homicide by Nora Charles

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Last night I completed Hurricane Homicide by Nora Charles (really?). It's the 4th book in the "Senior Sleuth" series with main character, widowed Kate Kennedy.

Kate and everyone else in her condo building are forced to evacuate quickly when a hurricane, which resident and TV forecaster Uncle Weatherwise predicted would miss Palmetto Beach, instead heads right for them. The next morning, Kate stumbles upon the weatherman's dead body outside the shelter. She isn't planning to get involved, but when she's questioned by police officer (and acquaintance) Nick Carbone, he asks her about the summer of 1950. Now Kate can't help but begin piecing clues together, all of which may lead to a murderer.

Color me confused. The story made precious little sense, and it didn't help matters that it kept vacillating between present day and the summer of 1950, when Kate met Russian-born Sophie and developed a tentative friendship with her. This is purely subjective, but I don't like stories that skip around, time-wise. I didn't get a good grasp of the characters, and the plot had precious little flow. The motive for murder was bizarre, and the resolution was not satisfying, in my opinion. In short, did not like.

Favorite line: "I told you if we dressed to kill, we'd get away with murder."

I bought one other book in this series. I am stubborn enough to read it, although I guarantee it won't be any time soon. This was a short book, and it took me yonks to read it, because it failed to hold my interest. Very bland and blah. Two stars.