I'm somewhat conflicted about this book. I *want* to like it. The writing style was quite readable, and the characters are personable, if lacking a little dimension. The setting in Maine is nice, but under-utilized. What really is holding me back, however, is the absurdity of the story. The main characters (Avery and Derek) buy a condo to flip. With days, one of the residents in the building dies of anaphylactic shock, brought on by a food allergy. Tragic, no? But for some arcane reason, Avery is convinced the death was not natural, so she takes it upon herself to not only prove that the woman was murdered, but also to discover why and by whom. Eventually, the police get on board with the murder theory, but now Avery pouts when she thinks they will solve the case without her. She isn't completely TSTL ... but not far from it. The solution to the mystery (and the red herring) also seemed pretty obvious to me, so the only reason to finish the book was to see HOW they solved it, not to find the solution.

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I enjoyed this series until this one and the next one. This one was unrealistic about the murderer and I found the whole situation unsatisfying. The wedding was nice though! I think I will stop with number 7 though.

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I am an avid cozy mystery reader and have enjoyed this series since book one, but I get so tired of the heroine's being stupid or turning into Jessica Fletcher and now Avery has really crossed those lines. I will say, at least the Derek (and therefore the author) have acknowledged it in their relationship but can we find new ways for them to solve the mystery besides putting themselves into dangerous situations--that as the reader--that are so obvious (e.g. visiting a suspect to give them information, following people in cars, etc.).
I thought the murder itself was interesting but I get distracted by the stupid stuff the amateur sleuths do that it takes away from the really good plot.

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