Tandem Demise by Duffy Brown sends us to Mackinac Island where Evie Bloomfield co-owns Rudy's Bikes. Evie and her friend, Fiona are down at the pier to pick up a delivery of kites when they find a dead man with a bottle of champagne in his arms. Nate Sutter, the chief of police, arrives on the scene and seems to recognize the dead guy. Evie has had success solving the last two murders on the island, and she does not hesitate to begin investigating this one. Wedding planner, Bladen Powers is causing disruptions because he is more focused on bedroom hopping than the details of his clients' nuptials. Evie finds herself sleuthing without her sidekick, Fiona who has become preoccupied with Detroit cop, Finn McCabe. Finn is worried that an old smuggling case of Nate's from when he worked undercover in Detroit is coming back to haunt him. The men involved believe Nate stole their money and they want it back. Nate has other worries when Bladen is killed, and the murder weapon belongs to Nate. Someone is framing Nate and Evie has no intention of letting him take the fall. With the islander's help, Nate goes into hiding and Evie sets out to prove his innocence. Can Evie discover who is framing Nate before he is caught and arrested?
Tandem Demise is a humorous and engaging cozy mystery. I do not recommend reading Tandem Demise as a standalone. You do need to read the books in A Cycle Path Mystery in order (or you will be lost). Duffy Brown has writing style that I classify as easy breezy. It is light, has humor, good dialogue and steady pacing. Evie Bloomfield finds herself co-owning Rudy's Bikes, but she cannot ride a bike (she has the scabs, scars and bruises to prove it). Evie, though, is a whiz at coming up with unique designs for the bikes and creating them. I loved the description of her Nancy Drew bicycle (I want it). The island is filled with quirky characters and charming shops (lots of fudge shopsâyum). I enjoyed the banter between Evie and Nate. They are cute together and he is fully aware of her shenanigans. The mystery was interesting with smuggling, murder, good clues, a handful of suspects and misdirection. Avid cozy mystery readers, though, will have no problem in identifying the guilty party. Evie is determined to investigate the case and she is not about to let locks stand in her way. Thankfully, she has Angelo to teach her the fine art of lock picking. I had a hard time with Evie breaking into the evidence locker. This destroys the chain of custody if discovered and a guilty person could get away with the crime (I know it is fiction, but Mackinac Island is not a fantasy world). Settle into a cozy chair and prepare to laugh as read Tandem Demise. Duffy Brown fans will enjoy this fetching cozy mystery.
Tandem Demise is a humorous and engaging cozy mystery. I do not recommend reading Tandem Demise as a standalone. You do need to read the books in A Cycle Path Mystery in order (or you will be lost). Duffy Brown has writing style that I classify as easy breezy. It is light, has humor, good dialogue and steady pacing. Evie Bloomfield finds herself co-owning Rudy's Bikes, but she cannot ride a bike (she has the scabs, scars and bruises to prove it). Evie, though, is a whiz at coming up with unique designs for the bikes and creating them. I loved the description of her Nancy Drew bicycle (I want it). The island is filled with quirky characters and charming shops (lots of fudge shopsâyum). I enjoyed the banter between Evie and Nate. They are cute together and he is fully aware of her shenanigans. The mystery was interesting with smuggling, murder, good clues, a handful of suspects and misdirection. Avid cozy mystery readers, though, will have no problem in identifying the guilty party. Evie is determined to investigate the case and she is not about to let locks stand in her way. Thankfully, she has Angelo to teach her the fine art of lock picking. I had a hard time with Evie breaking into the evidence locker. This destroys the chain of custody if discovered and a guilty person could get away with the crime (I know it is fiction, but Mackinac Island is not a fantasy world). Settle into a cozy chair and prepare to laugh as read Tandem Demise. Duffy Brown fans will enjoy this fetching cozy mystery.
