Howdy Folks!

Sorry I’ve been a little MIA. Sometimes life just takes the reins, yeah?

I’m writing this right before having guests over, so bear with me if this is a little short and to the point.

Right now I’m sharing my book review of Boiling Over by Thea McAlistair. This is the second book in her Caro Mysteries series, and after reading the first book (review here), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Blurb:

On the run from trumped-up murder charges, Alex Dawson and his boyfriend Sev settle in a small town in Vermont on the recommendation of Sev’s mob-boss cousin Bella. Chickadee is so tiny that it has only one major employer in the depths of the Great Depression: Trask & Co. Maple Sugar Mill. It’s a quiet place. That is, until Walter Trask is found in his own maple grove with his head smashed in.

Alex doesn’t want to have anything to do with the death, but things get much more personal when Bella is falsely arrested. Determined to free her and even the scales, Alex scours the town for clues as to what really happened. He quickly learns that small towns have big secrets that people may be willing to kill for. And if that weren’t bad enough, Alex and Sev’s once-sweet relationship is turning bitter under the combined pressures of isolation, anxiety, and jealousy. Alex needs to find the true murderer quickly before Bella is turned over to the feds, or worse, Sev walks out of his life forever.

The Review:

I gave this book four and a half sleuthing stars!

Man, did I have a good time reading this one. Just a short while after the events of No Good Men, Sev and Alex are on the run from Westwick and the bloody nightmare that ensued.

Under Bella’s protection, they find themselves not somewhere exotic like they fantasized, but in Chickadee, Vermont. If that wasn’t bad enough, they arrive to the scene just after the death of Walter Trask, the man who was supposed to hook them up with employment while they hide out.

As events unfold and Bella herself is caught in the crossfire, Alex and Sev are forced to delve deeper into the situation to free Bella and get out of dodge.

I really loved this book.

For starters, all the great characters we’ve come to love are present. Pearl has always been a favorite of mine, and her attitude and portrayal of character were perfect. Bella was, well, Bella, in all her snide remarks and no-nonsense frame of mind. I also loved the continuance of romance between Sev and Alex. Alex goes through some deep character progression as he comes to terms with what happened in Westwick and where that leaves him and Sev.

The plot was really intriguing. Chickadee is a small town, but in a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business, causing for quite the drama fest. There were a lot of great twists and turns along the way that kept those pages turning for me.

If I had to pick at anything, I would say that some of Alex’s assumptions and sleuthing could be far-reaching at times, and some of the issues arising between him and Sev could’ve been nipped in the bud a bit earlier I believe. Still, given what he’s been through it’s understandable that he could be missing something, especially when the stakes keep getting higher and higher. I didn’t take too much star value due to this.

Ultimately, Boiling Over is a great continuation of the Caro Mysteries filled with mystery, drama, heartache, and violence. I can’t wait to read what happens next!

That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out my blog homepage or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!

Have a great day!

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