Monday, May 24, 2021

Mystery Monday: The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

   Welcome to a brand new feature series here on Eastern Sunset Reads!

In the mess that was 2020, one exciting thing that came about is my discovery of Cozy Mysteries.  Yes, I knew they existed before but I never had a desire to pick one up but last year I ended up reading 17 of them! Clearly they have become a regular thing for me to pick up and it is such a vast genre that I can't wait to dive into more of them.  So Mystery Monday has become a thing and will be a (at least somewhat) regular thing here.  So stop by on Mondays to see my reviews of new books I have picked up, new releases, chat about sub-genres and lots more.


Read for: Anticipated Release/Audio Book/ Cozy Mystery

Reviews of Previous Books in the Series:

Synopsis: "Some people take their secrets with them to the grave. Others leave them behind on their deathbeds, riddles for the survivors to solve.

When her late grandfather’s dying deputy calls Mercy to his side, she and Elvis inherit the cold case that haunted him—and may have killed him. But finding Beth Kilgore 20 years after she disappeared is more than a lost cause. It’s a Pandora’s box releasing a rain of evil on the very people Mercy and Elvis hold most dear.

The timing couldn’t be worse when the man who murdered her grandfather escapes from prison and a fellow Army vet turns up claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. With her grandmother Patience gone missing, and Elvis’s future uncertain, Mercy faces the prospect of losing her most treasured allies, the only ones she believes truly love and understand her.

She needs help, and that means forgiving Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out for Patience, Mercy and Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel the secrets of the past and save her grandmother—before it’s too late.

Once again, Paula Munier crafts a terrific mystery thriller filled with intrigue, action, resilient characters, the mountains of Vermont, and two amazing dogs."

My Review: I have really been enjoying the Mercy and Elvis series, and have even gotten my In-Laws to read the series with me. We definitely get to see more of Mercy's backstory in this book and while the over arcing storyline is the mystery, I feel like we get more focus on Mercy's internal struggles. I think her struggles are what plays a large role in her actions with those around her. I did struggle a bit more with this book than the previous books. The mystery itself gets a bit twisty and maybe didn't need quite so many elements. While trying to throw these little twists in, the answers are still pretty clear to see, so all it did was kind of muddle the story and slow the pacing down. I am also finding it just a bit too unbelievable more and more that neither Mercy or Todd ever seem to sleep or rest and recover from injuries. I will definitely continue with the series as I do love the characters and have enjoyed the setting and the mysteries to a degree but I really hope that some of this is brought back down to a more believable story and situations.

My  Rating: I still really enjoyed this book but I definitely noticed a few hiccups with it this time around. It was still engrossing and I did really enjoy the emotional elements of the story. I am looking forward to more books in this series but really hope to see a few changes.  For now I am giving this book a rating of Three Paws.
 

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