REVIEW: THE DEEP END (THE COUNTRY CLUB MURDERS #1), BY JULIE MULHERN

 

 

Set in the mid-1970s in Kansas City, Missouri, The Deep End was a story full of interesting characters, great dialogue, and lush settings.

Ellison Walford Russell is a thriving artist with a teenage daughter Grace. She is also a member of the Country Club set, thanks to her background as the daughter of Harrison and Frances Walford. Her husband Henry is a banker…and a cheating spouse. Ellison has ignored his behavior, for the most part, until the morning she dives into the pool at the Country Club, only to discover the dead body of her husband’s mistress, Madeline Harper.

It won’t take long, however, for Ellison to realize that Madeline was the tip of the iceberg, and that kinky sex, blackmail, and a host of other messy details will turn her life into chaos. But the upside of it all: Ellison has discovered her backbone and begins standing up to her mother, the woman who has never stopped telling her how she has disappointed her.

I loved seeing this character growth and “listening” to the conversations between mother and daughter.

But who killed Madeline? And when more dead bodies turn up, there will be any number of potential suspects, and Ellison is determined to solve the mysteries. But will Detective A. Jones be an ally or an obstacle? And what about the stuffy lawyer her mother hired for her? Hunter Tafft seems to have an agenda. Can she trust him?

The suspense ratcheted up as the end drew near, and just when I had eliminated every possible suspect in my mind, the one I hadn’t considered…well, it was so obvious once I had the clues. A definite 4 star read that was cozy and delightful.