The Mariachi Murder

Detective Rick Romero and forensic psychologist Jemimah Hodge are tasked with solving the murder of Eduardo Sanchez, a popular mariachi singer. The list of possible suspects is extraordinary long, as Eduardo, a true ladies man, had more enemies than friends. But despite that, weeks later, the investigation is still going nowhere, and the more they uncover about the mariachi singer, the more they figure his murder might not be as simple as a jealous ex-girlfriend or angry husband… 

The relationship between Rick and Jemimah is quite rocky. They’ve worked together before, and have been dating for two years, but they haven’t actually committed yet. Rick’s ex-wife coming to town stirs up trouble between the two of them. On top of that, Jemimah’s past comes knocking on her door too. In addition to solving a murder, our two protagonists have a lot of personal drama to deal with too. The book’s major flaw is not offering original characters. While Jemimah and Rick are engaging, they’re a tad cliché; their personalities matching those of the protagonists in half the police procedurals out there. 

Despite this being the fourth book in a series, it can be easily read as a standalone. While there’s a large focus on the relationship between Rick and Jemimah, the main focus is still on the murder. The plot has plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing at a murder that seem straight-forward at first but turns out to be anything but. 

Majanka Verstraete