Silk & Slippers (Whiskey River Mysteries Book 2) by Claire O'Sullivan

This review first appeared in Clean Fiction Magazine Clean Fiction Magazine

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First Impressions: The first sentence puts the reader right smack inside the first-person point of view of the medical examiner, Jack McCloud. The descriptions were vivid and the reader could almost smell the room. The rest of the many character’s POV are in third person. It has a good setup for the story, but it seems to move a little slowly as we go over all the evidence.

Action: Most of the action occurs in the morgue or at the various crime scenes. Unbeknownst to both Mercedes and Jack, they have a stalker who is hell bent on killing them. They are on the lookout for their own stalker but not prepared for if or when the stalker does the complete sideswipe from their blind spots. Reader beware.

Adventure: At each crime scene and during the autopsies, the reader is given medical terms, descriptions, and procedures. The reader dons the special protective gear from head, gloves, to booties before looking at the evidence. Time is of the essence to discover the identity of the serial killer attacking redheaded college students in Whiskey River. The detectives are entrenched in the fact finding and suspect interview race along with the forensic team. Jack and Mercedes can’t help but act like detectives as the puzzle pieces are found. Who is the sinister monster behind these vicious deaths?  

Romance: The romance starts as soon as oatmeal encrusted hands grip Jack’s face, falling in love with his new assistant Mercedes’ infant son, Jonah. The spark of romance soon follows between Jack and Mercedes. They have various things in common, including PTSD.

Religion: Most of the good guys are Christians and there are often references to their faith and the Bible. These are not overdone and become clear it’s just the way of life for the characters.

Art: Photography and reenacting the crime scenes become an art form. We also learn fascinating things about silk and glass slippers, hence the title.

Final Thoughts: There are numerous characters telling the story, both good guys and bad guys. Also, a ton of suspects to keep track of too. Jonah is the most adorable child and tries new words on a daily basis and seems to respond so well to Jack that he develops remarkably well by going from a wobbly stand and hanging onto a table to running across a wide space in a short amount of time. During the unfolding of the story, the reader is left to wonder how wealthy Jack is and where his wealth came from. He never blinks or gives much thought into lavishing monetary blessings onto those he comes into contact, including outrageous tips to fast food servers and building a mini apartment inside his own dwelling. He is extremely loving to a child that he has only known for a short time and then his heart immediately opens up to a woman he barely knows. I found that refreshing. Mercedes arrives with a lot of baggage in the way of loser ex-husband, military background, and trying to prove herself in the forensics community. She waltzed in with a wheelbarrow full of degrees and training to do a lab assistant job just to make a fresh start. The mystery is good, suspense well done, and romance just right. You will enjoy this book.