My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Edisto Island Mysteries which features former detective Callie Morgan, the hero of the piece. This time, it turns out women keep dying on the island every August but all from seemingly unrelated accidents. Are these coincidences? Or is there a serial killer on the loose? Callie is determined to find out.

I’ve not read the first in the series but this book brought me up to speed with ease and I quickly fell in with the characters and background. Hope Clark has penned an easy to read novel which doesn’t tax the mind while keeping the reader entertained – and (like all good whodunnits) wondering who the bad guy is to the end.

Personally, I prefer the author’s Carolina Slade Mystery series (click the link to see my review). I feel she’s more comfortable in those stories, perhaps because she came from the same background as her chief hero. Edisto Jinx felt, at times, a little over-simplified. Without giving spoilers, I can’t help but feel that in the real world, Callie Morgan would have been in considerable trouble by the end. The Caroline Slade Mysteries manage this raw edge, this grip of realism which makes the stories so interesting.

But that said, I still enjoyed Edisto Jinx. It’s a lighter read, yes, but there’s something about the characters and setting which makes it very attractive – sexy even, though I can’t explain why. This is a book to read not to be scared, or baffled, but simply to enjoy. It’s a novel to relax with and, despite the subject matter, feel the joy.

Certainly, by the end, I found myself looking forward to the next book in the series and that’s about as good an indication of how good a story is that I know of. Hope Clark succeeded in making me invest in the characters and I’m sure her writing has the same effect on many others.

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