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Release date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

For a woman, being killed by someone who claims to love her is the most ordinary murder of all.

With its antebellum houses and ancient oak trees draped in a veil of Spanish moss, Savannah’s graceful downtown is famous around the world. When a woman is killed in the heart of that affluent district, the shock is felt throughout the city. But for crime reporter Harper McClain, this story is personal. The corpse has a familiar face.

Only twenty-four years old, Naomi Scott was just getting started. A law student, tending bar to make ends meet, she wanted to change the world. Instead, her life ended in the dead of night at the hands of an unseen gunman. There are no witnesses to the crime. The police have three suspects: Scott’s boyfriend, who has a criminal past he claims he’s put behind him, her boss, who stalked another young bartender two years ago, and the district attorney’s son, who Naomi dated until their relationship ended in acrimony. All three men claim to love her. Could one of them be her killer?

With the whole city demanding answers, Harper unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy. But the pressures on her go beyond the murder. The newspaper is facing more layoffs. Her boss fears both their jobs are on the line. And Harper begins to realize that someone is watching her every move. Someone familiar and very dangerous.

Someone who told her to run before it’s too late… 

Review:

This is the second book in a series that follows Harper McClain, a crime reporter living in Savannah. I recommend reading the first book in the series before this one because there’s quite a bit of background information about Harper’s life in the first book and there’s a secondary storyline about her mother’s death that has threads in both books. Side note, I listened to the first book and the audio was great so I’m sure this would be awesome on audio as well.

I know there are some series with a crime reporter as the lead character but I’ve never encountered one with such an engaging protagonist like Harper. She’s bold, fearless and just downright fun to read about, she has personality plus, a real firecracker and her personal history is also intriguing. There’s a nice balance between her job and her personal life, plenty enough to where you feel like you understand her and her motivations in life. I love the unique angle her job provides, she has more access than a civilian does but she’s not actually a cop so she has to be creative and tenacious to find answers and she’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to finding the truth.

As much as the main storyline hooked me what really piques my interest is the side plot where someone is watching Harper. The author cleverly answers a few questions from the first book but leaves things very open in the end leaving the door wide open for excitement in the next book, and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next!

A Beautiful Corpse in three words: Sharp, Smart and Steady

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.