A Deadly Truth

by Joyce Proell

[Cocktails and Books]

I was interested in reading this book because of the blurb- curious socialite running a school for girls meets brooding widower suspected of murder. It's an intriguing premise but the execution falters. Arcadia meets Doyle Flannagan under the worst of circumstances; she finds the body of one of her students in his front room. He pleads his innocence but he is suspected of murdering his late wife so no one in acceptable society or on the police force believes his claims. Cady however, isn't convinced he's a cold blooded killer. When another one of her students turns up dead and evidence points to Doyle they team up, reluctantly of course, to solve the mystery. Overall the story is a sweet one and there is enough tension in the plot to hold the reader's interest.

There are a few stumbles along the way. Doyle's various relationships with secondary characters tend to pop up out of nowhere then are dropped or too neatly tied up. For instance his father makes a brief appearance in the middle of the book but does nothing to advance the plot. Cady and Doyle's growing romance has no real build up. She vacillates a bit about whether he’s the right type of guy but not for too long. Doyle, while a stronger character, appears to change midway through the novel as if the author got tired of the brooding hero. I would read this book more for the murder mystery than for the romance and that is a shame because the potential for a really great romance using these two characters is amazing.

Reviewed by Karon for Cocktails and Books