Title: The Lovely Pines
Series: A BJ Vinson Mystery 04
Author: Don Travis
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Length: Novel (254 Pages)
Publisher: DSP Publications (August 28, 2018)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts
Blurb: When Ariel Gonda’s winery, the Lovely Pines, suffers a break-in, the police write the incident off as a prank since nothing was taken. But Ariel knows something is wrong—small clues are beginning to add up—and he turns to private investigator BJ Vinson for help.
BJ soon discovers the incident is anything but harmless. When a vineyard worker—who is also more than he seems—is killed, there are plenty of suspects to go around. But are the two crimes even related? As BJ and his significant other, Paul Barton, follow the trail from the central New Mexico wine country south to Las Cruces and Carlsbad, they discover a tangled web involving members of the US military, a mistaken identity, a family fortune in dispute, and even a secret baby. The body count is rising, and a child may be in danger. BJ will need all his skills to survive, because between a deadly sniper and sabotage, someone is determined to make sure this case goes unsolved.
ISBN: 978-1-64080-122-6
Product Link: DSP Publications | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Reviewer: Lisa
Review: Another case down for the books. A break in with nothing messed with, a dead vineyard worker, missing stolen artifacts, shootings and BJ is in the middle of it all. He was hired by the owner of the Vineyard and he wanted to find out what was going on. You add in that the worker was not who he truly was will be a big hit with some major tears, money in high demands and some big secrets have got BJ running all over.
I love how you see Paul in parts of the story but doesn’t really have anything to do with the investigation. He is a joy sometimes and damn hot. Wow the author does give you one hell of a description of the surrounding areas they go into, it tends to drive me in a different direction. I loose interest when there is so much detail. The characters as always are very entertaining and quite interesting. He is very loyal to his friends and family, but push him in the wrong direction and your ass is grass.
The secondary characters are always a big hit with these stories. They really help with the investigation. They also have some pretty easy quirks to like. I like how the mysteries were wrote in this one but will admit that I figured out parts of it before the end. It is still enjoyable to watch BJ interact with his clients, the suspects, other agencies and his friends. He is like a dog with a bone in some parts which gets a big hit from me.
Now for the downside as well written as it was, the murder itself was too neat and it didn’t come off the way three bullets would or should have. It shows a more violent type then what was really behind it. As I said above the story just had too much description in it to make it keep my attention throughout the story. Usually I get caught up in a story but this one had me skimming parts of the story just to get through it. However that is just my insight.
Other than my issues with the story it was well written, even paced and a fun read. I would recommend it and the previous titles in the series.