Fatal Whispers

Author: Sandra Nikolai
Genre: Light Mystery, Canadian
Series: #2 in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott series
Type: e-book
Page Count in Paper Copy: 
Publisher: Vemcort Publishing
First Published: August 29, 2013
First Line: "There were times when I wished I could change the future."

Book Description from GoodReads: A millionaire’s beautiful young wife. A homeless woman. A parish priest.

Three baffling deaths within days. No sign of foul play. No police leads. An unprecedented occurrence in Portland, Maine. Even medical authorities can’t explain the cause of death.

Ghostwriter Megan Scott and investigative reporter Michael Elliott look for answers when their trip to this alluring New England town coincides with the mysterious deaths. After police question Megan’s cousin, a flower shop owner, in connection with one of the deaths, the investigation hits close to home. A fire at the shop, stolen documents, and blackmail threats prompt Megan and Michael to probe deeper. They discover ominous secrets buried decades ago and ruthless killers who won’t let anyone get in the way of revenge.

My Review:  I jumped right into this series with Fatal Whispers, the second book in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott series by Canadian author Sandra Nikolai.  Normally that's not something I like to do but Nikolai gives her readers enough background story to help them figure out how Megan and Michael first met while not giving anything away about her first mystery.

This was a good mystery with lots of twists and red herrings.  Even though I predicted a few of the twists it was still an engaging and enjoyable read.  The budding romance was sweet and believable but takes a backseat to the mystery which I liked.  Personally, romance is nice but I'm in it for the mystery!  

The characters were pretty well fleshed out and I like how certain characters' behaviours made me keep questioning who I thought had 'dunnit'.  I think having Michael being a crime writer is a good way to ensure many more interesting plot lines and I would like to see him play a bigger role in future books.  As a proud Canadian I was happy to see that Megan and Michael are also Canucks and that the next book in the series, Icy Silence, brings readers back to Quebec for a new adventure.

The first two-thirds of the book had a cozy mystery feel to it but Nikolai writes a fabulous heart-stopping scene in the last third that upped the energy level considerably as the mystery was coming to a close.  If a few more of those nail-biting scenes were sprinkled throughout the first part of the book I would have given Fatal Whispers a higher rating.  As it is, this was an easy read and kept my attention so much so that I finished the book in two days.  I look forward to more from this author!

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer:  My sincere thanks to author Sandra Nikolai for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.