Picture Not Perfect (The Not So Reluctant Detectives #2) by D.E. Haggerty ~ #BookReview for #RBRT #CosyMystery

Author: D.E. Haggerty

Published: January 21st 2019

Category: Cosy Mystery, Murder, Romance, Book Review

When the police find pictures of Melanie hanging up at her murdered colleague’s house, they’re convinced he was stalking her. Maybe she even killed him. Melanie was not being stalked! And she certainly didn’t kill her supposed stalker – as if. But Mel – always up for a bit of drama – jumps at the chance to go search for the real killer. 

In Picture Not Perfect we are reacquainted Terri, school librarian, and Melanie, school guidance counsellor. 

Melanie’s ex, Owen, is trying his best to rekindle their relationship but Melanie is reluctant. Her over abundance of energy and lack of consideration for others is down to her ADHD and make her a complex and sometimes irritating character. She is aware not many people can cope with her hyper personality and recklessness. Afraid of Owen’s reaction to her diagnosis, she prefers to keep him at arm’s length rather than be let down.

When creepy Alfred Schultz, a social sciences teacher at the school, is found dead, Melanie is in the frame for his murder. The police found photos of her at Schultz’s house and believe he’s been stalking her. 

“But he wanted to know you. Was he stalking you?” Davis’ harsh tone was in direct contradiction with Meyer’s gentle enquiries. 

“Stalking me! If he were stalking me, you’d know about it because I would have filed a police report. Duh. I’m a guidance counselor. I know exactly what steps I need to take  when I’m being harassed, which I wasn’t.” By the time she finished her tirade, she was nearly screaming. 

Melanie is determined to find the real murderer in order to get the police off her back, and draws Terri and new English literature teacher Pru, into her far fetched, madcap, and sometimes dangerous, schemes as she follows up on her suspicions and speculations. The friends manage to uncover more than they’d imagined but will the police believe them?

Being Melanie’s friend would tax many people but Terri especially, and Pru, take her at face value. Terri is used to her antics and Pru is learning fast. Owen’s doing his best to convince Melanie he’s in it for the long haul, but she’s not easy to convince. There’s a good mix of characters and I enjoyed the chapter headings. 

Picture Not Perfect is a light, fun cosy mystery, perfect for whiling away an hour or two. 

I chose to read and review Picture Not perfect for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy kindly supplied by the author. 

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US 

About the Author

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book

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