Elaine Flinn Deadly Vintage

Deadly Vintage

Elaine Flinn

Perseverance Press, Sept 2007, $14.95, 269 pp.

ISBN 9781880284872

She hasn't been involved in any murder investigation for awhile and has found friends and family in Carmel, California with the jewel being her niece Emma. Business is going well at Treasures Antiques which Molly Malone manages; now she is branching out as an interior decorator with her first client Carla Jessop, owner of Bello Lago Winery who wants her to redesign the showroom.

However, Carla's husband Todd doesn't want Molly to have the job because she wasn't prestigious enough. He tries to scam her and when she doesn't take the bait, he gets into an argument with her at a family dinner and she throws a glass of wine in his face. Carla's father who hates Todd applauds the action and invites Molly to a special family dinner at his estate and she accepts. She is next to Todd when a shot rings out and he is killed. Carmel Police Chief Kenneth Reynolds and Molly are considered persons of interest by the Monterey County Sheriff's office.

Elaine Flynn is talented writer who combines a great mystery with a family drama. The heroine has had some bad things happen to her mostly by caused herself but in spite of it all she has been through, she not only has to gumption to start over professionally, she take on raising Emma's case when her sister dumped her on Molly. She feels like Emma's mother and fears that the light shining on her past will mean Emma is taken away from her by so called meaningful individuals. Thus the courageous Molly's understands her challenge is to solve the case ASAP.

Harriet Klausner