NOT AS IT SEEMS by Marilyn Meredith
This one has been newly edited--and was great fun to write.
Any chance I get, I go to the central coast to visit. Love Morro Bay where much of this particular book takes place, though Deputy Tempe Crabtree visits other favorite spots in the area.
I belong to the Central Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime, and often have opportunities to join them. I have so many friends in that group.
One of my sister/mister combinations in my San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime used the book as a restaurant guide when they visited Morro Bay.
Here are a couple of reviews:
by Anthony J. Piazza
Deputy Tempe Crabtree
is back in another engaging mystery. She and her husband, Hutch, are in Morro
Bay for their son’s wedding and a much needed vacation. Of course in Tempe’s
world nothing is as it seems (hence the title), and soon she is up to her neck in
trouble. Almost upon arrival she’s made aware of her future daughter-in-law’s
dilemma; postpone the wedding, or not, until her best friend and maid o honor,
is found. The local police don’t seem particularly interested, so it falls on
Tempe to find out what has happened to the girl “Not as it Seems’ is a can’t
put it down novel that introduces a number of interesting suspects…but the
author doesn’t stop there, she nicely weaves in the history, beauty, fine food
and restaurants of Morro Bay and its surrounding environments. Her descriptions
are remarkably vivid…as the reader you are experiencing along with Tempe, the
sights, smells and tastes of this coastal paradise. …It is not only Tempe’s
gift as an investigator that eventually solves the case but her remarkable
ability to communicate with the spiritual worlds, and in this case the coastal
Indian tribes, who gives her valuable hints toward the solution of the
intriguing puzzles. Speaking of puzzles, this one was a challenge to Tempe and
the reader, but the solution is more than satisfying…
by Madeline Gornell
Though I’ve followed
this series since I read my first Tempe adventure a couple years ago, this book
was a present, and so happy I received! Sometimes series get old to me, but not
this one. And I’ve found myself liking Tempe and Hutch even more in this Tempe
adventure—and finding out what’s happening in their personal and family life.
Not as it Seems was excellent when it came to family dynamics and personal
growth—especially for Tempe and her special” gift. Good characters and setting
can really pull me in, and Marilyn Meredith “paints” the Morro Bay California
scenario beautifully. And seemingly effortlessly—her writing is so smooth and
easy to read. Indeed, I read from start to finish in one sitting. Wanted to
know what happened—and Tempe...well, I won’t spill the beans—but reading Not as
it Seems was a lovely way to take a day off! Definitely recommended.
Available in trade paperback and on Kindle.
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