BONES AND ROSES (Cypress Bay Mysteries - Book #1) By Eileen Goudge

Publisher:  Eileen Goudge
Pages:  234
Release Date:  August 5, 2014
Genre:  Mystery

Book Description:  New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge presents Bones and Roses, the first book 
in her exciting new Cypress Bay Mysteries series! 

Welcome to the northern California seaside town of Cypress Bay, where the surf's up, the sixties 
live on and long-buried secrets are about to surface. 

From home invasions to cheating spouses, Rest Easy Property Management owner Leticia 
"Tish" Ballard thought she'd seen it all. Almost four years sober after flambéing her real estate 
career in an alcohol-fueled blowout, she's finally in a good place in her life when the discovery 
of skeletal human remains rocks her world and plunges her headlong into solving a decades-old 
crime. Now she must delve into the darkness of her own past, including the one-night stand gone 
horribly wrong with Spence Breedlove, who happens to be the lead detective on the case. When 
the truth comes out at long last, Tish finds herself pitted against an enemy who will stop at 
nothing in a fight for her own life.
Wanda's Review:  Cypress Bay, a seaside town in California - Tish Ballard had lost her career as a realtor because of her drinking. She is now the proprietor and sole employee of Rest Easy Property Management. She looks after vacation homes, doing upkeep and repairs. 

The story picks up pace early on when skeletal remains are discovered in a trunk of a storage unit. This was a murder that took place decades ago with no witnesses, no timeline, and no forensic evidence. And the story unfolds as many secrets are untangled, with a myriad of obstacles to overcome.

The author created incredibly good characters. Tish's best friend, Ivy, was wonderfully portrayed, and I found Arthur, the schizophrenic brother, to be quite interesting. I also enjoyed the splashes of humor spread throughout. The book had an interesting premise and a lot of potential. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me. My interest waned and I struggled to finish this book. The blurb sounded interesting, but the book just didn't deliver - it was just lukewarm. But perhaps you should read it and decide for yourself because I'm definitely in the minority. My rating is 3 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.

About the Author:  I began writing at the age of eight, and wrote my way through the lean years, more than one marriage, single motherhood,and moving to the Big Apple on a wing and a prayer, with fifteen women's fiction novels to show for it. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another:bad exes, births, deaths,divorces, pregnancy scares,true crime (I was nearly kidnapped, at age 12, by the stranger whose car your parents warned you not get it into). It's all part of the alchemy that makes for fictional gold.

BONES AND ROSES, Book One of my Cypress Bay mystery series, marks my entry into the ranks of mystery novelists. I've been a fan of the genre since I fell under the spell of James M. Cain reading his masterpiece, "Mildred Pierce." I'm currently (and happily)wed to WABC-TV correspondent Sandy Kenyon, also known as the "taxi TV" film critic. We met when he was a radio talk show host and he interviewed me on the radio. How's that for a Hollywood meet-cute? 

My life's goal was to have a day job that didn't require me to wear pantyhose. Thankfully I've achieved that. Everything else is the icing on the cake.