What was supposed to be a quick stop before catching a train, turns out to be a place that offers Avalon Nash a job and a place to stay. Okay, filling in the shoes of a murder victim may not be the ideal job, specially since the position seems to be cursed, but Avalon has no one to answer to and she is not the one to back down from a challenge unless it is from her past.
Avalon Nash decided to stop for a drink at a local tavern at small town called Tranquility before catching her connecting train. But while there she discovers the body of the bartender. As such, she is asked to hang around for a while by the local authorities and the owner of the tavern offers her the newly opened spot of a bartender. Avalon has always been serious about her skills and interest in bartending, and as such she is good at her job. She collects stories from her customers and as she discovers more about the town and its people, she puts herself in a dangerous position. Will she be able to bring the murderer to justice or will she end up as yet another murdered bartender in the history of Tranquility.
Avalon Nash is an intriguing character. The author has developed the protagonist's character shrouded in a cloud of mystery. We do not find out much about her life - and the bits that we do discover only adds to the intrigue that Avalon Nash is. She certainly has a checkered past but how bad is it is something that we can only guess at the moment. She is good at her job and quick on her feet. She is one of those people who can make people feel at ease. The qualities that make Avalon good at her job, are also the qualities that help her survive and take on a murderer. The story also offers a wide range of characters from the general townsfolk, people from Hollywood and out of town visitors. Each character have their own personality and role to play in the story. There are a couple of characters that I think will be recurring characters in the series from the way they are set up and developed in this book.
I did like the plot and the pace of the story. The murder happens right at the beginning and the pace never falters. There is always something new unfolding or some important information provided to keep the readers engaged. There were only a couple of twists in the story but cleverly placed.
Avalon is the main hook in this book and for the series - because I am sure I want to read the next book in the series just for her.
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I have been seeing this book pop up a lot in the book blogging community and with all positive reviews. I better catch up!
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