Death by Romance

Gordon Taylor is murdered right before Christmas, and right before his company makes its initial public offering. His wife, Jessica, is devastated, but alarmed that her partnership with Romance, Ltd., makes her a suspect in her husband’s murder, along with many other supporting characters.

Years before the murder, Jessica’’s friend, Mavis, concocts a business plan for a lucrative, investor-driven matchmaking service. She calls it Romance, Ltd. Mavis uses Jessica as her “investment,” using her resources to school her in philanthropy and high culture, with the aim of putting Jessica in Gordon Taylor’s path. The company’’s goal is that the “investment” marries for money, and the investors get a cut of the spoils when the marriage eventually sours. But what if the investors are impatient, and the marriage isn’t souring fast enough? It just might be a motive for murder.

Jessica’s clear-eyed earnestness is admirable, if only a bit naïve. Jessica knows that Mavis makes money through their partnership after Gordon Taylor’s estate is settled, but doesn’’t see this as a reason to suspect her. Jessica blames herself for her husband’s murder, and continues to forgive Mavis over and over again for being a single-minded, greedy hag the whole time.

A shady lawyer and some investors with mob ties kept me guessing, and threw Ryan, the cop on the case, off the trail. Like many crime novels, the evidence points to multiple characters as being the murderer, but it was almost the one you least expected.

“Death by Romance” is short, simple and straightforward. The characters are deep and interesting. Jessica’’s grief is the reader’s grief. Mavis’s anxiety is the reader’s anxiety. Ryan, the cop with whom readers will spend the most time, loves his cat and loves to cook, has a dismal relationship with his son, and can’’t seem to let go of his late wife, Mary. Ryan’’s vibrant personality will make readers feel like they’re solving the mystery right alongside him. While there wasn’’t a ton of action, some excellent sleuthing made the ride entertaining.