Jeopardy in July (Jamie Quinn Mystery #5)

Jamie Quinn is back in this cozy mystery set in Boca Raton, Florida. When Jamie goes to meet a new client at La Vida Boca, an assisted-living facility, when she gets there her client is dead. It doesn't look suspicious at first, but when members of the poker club start dying, events take a more sinister turn. Jamie, her friend Jessie and P.I. Duke Brossard begin piecing together a mystery that has been forty years in the making. As she juggles her personal life, career changes and the mystery at La Vida Boca, can Jamie get to the bottom of things before anyone else gets hurt?

"Jeopardy In July" is an intriguing armchair read! Author Barbara Venkataraman has a firm grip on her characters and it shows. Jamie is a compelling heroine; her profession is unusual for a cozy mystery main character. Her sidekicks, including Duke Brossard, are unique and keep the  narrative interesting. The problems that Jamie faces in her personal life add a nice depth to the story. A caution to readers:  the book has extremely dry humor. So dry, in fact, that it can appear as though it lacks in humor, which can be a major factor in a cozy mystery. The pacing starts out slowly but picks up toward the end, leaving the reader unable to put it down.   Here's hoping for more of Jamie's adventures!

Jessica Samuelsen