Book Review – Searching for Gatsby by Niki Danforth

Searching for Gatsby by Niki Danforth
Series: Ronnie Lake Murder Mystery, #3
Published November 20, 2016 by Pancora Press
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery
320 pages
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Find on Goodreads
Get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/30Dwvdc

He’s handsome, wealthy, and oh so mysterious…but you can’t judge a book by its cover, right?

A fifty-something divorcée turned private eye, Ronnie Lake turns the pages on her current case with her beloved German shepherd at her side. Adultery, betrayal, and romance are the main characters until murder steals the scene and plunges her into the exclusive world of rare book collecting.

When a priceless first edition vanishes, everyone becomes a suspect…and a target. But a literary shocker speaks volumes about an historic book series – curiously lost to time – that holds the key to it all.

Review

To be honest, I was really skeptical when I decided to read this book. Why’s that? Well, the reason why I love reading in the first place was because of the suspense/thriller/mystery genre. What’s the connection? Well, because of that reason, I tend to get picky in this genre that I don’t easily get impressed. But man!!!! This book surprised me.

I’m already intrigued just by reading the first chapter, it was also narrated from a third person so it was kind of nostalgic since it’s been quite a long time that I have read one. The story started when this “guy” entered a private property to steal something valuable. I thought at first it’s just a simple burglary but all of the guests inside the house were surprised to hear a gunshot and saw the burglar fall from the roof and was on the verge of dying. Before his last breath, he said something that really intrigued me. And that my dear was the start of my favorite who-dun-it part. I always love Mary Higgins Clark’s who-dun-it and I was really hoping that this one will give me the same experience. And surprise, suprise! It sure did. 

What I like

Aside from making me feel intrigued, what I like about this story is that it only introduces a few number of characters unlike what I’m used to with MHC’s books. That’s great news since it’s going to be easy-peasy pointing out the real culprit right? Well, that was what I thought haha. But for this story, I really had a hard time sticking up with my guesses lol. And btw, my first guess was wrong again. Man! I really don’t have any Sherlock blood in me.

Searching for Gatsby was just a short read but it felt like it was longer. There’s a lot of things that happened in this story that made me believe that I was right with my guesses so imagine my surprise when the culprit was finally named. Now that’s what I call a good mystery/suspense book.

Another reason why I like this story was the terms and words used. As a non-native English speaker, it really is a big deal for me that a certain book doesn’t just have a good story but also on how it was being delivered or executed. And Searching for Gatsby is a very easy to read story.

And lastly, I love love love the little romance this story contains. I’m always a sucker for romance especially if it’s incorporated in a suspense story and this one just perfectly blended those two together. I was honestly surprised about the romance part though since the main character was already in her fifties, and I was already expecting it to be just…well, just fine. But another surprise, haha, I find myself grinning like crazy. 

What I like the least

I don’t think I have any complaints about this story, maybe about Ronnie’s HEA? hehe.

Rating

While I did enjoy this story, I think I’ll be giving it a 4 star rating for now. Besides, I’m pretty sure there’ll be more mystery Ronnie will be solving soon.

For this story, I really like Ronnie. She’s already in her fifties but still as sharp as ever that I really find it remarkable whenever she discovers some new clue. I also love it that she’s a dog lover and owner. She had quite a not-so pleasant past but it was great to know how she’s doing fine with her life. Also, didn’t I tell you how badass she was fighting the culprit in the end of the book?! Also, I adore her relationship with his brother.
Searching for Gatsby is the 3rd book of the Ronnie Lake Murder Mystery but it can be read standalone. If you’re looking for a cozy suspense/mystery read this summer, you may want to consider this book.

Challenges

• 2017 New To Me
• 2017 eBooks Reading
• 2017 You Read How Many Books?
• 2017 Review Writing

Book Preview

Check out my book shelf for book suggestions and recommendations!

BOOK SHELF: MYSTERY

Subscribe To Blushing Geek