Review: Unlocking more than doors...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2014
Edna Curry delivers a mystery/action/romance novel set firmly in small town Minnesota, and the result is intriguing.  The mystery revolves around the death of a local bar owner, and one of the suspects is a female locksmith, who was called on to help a motorist (locked out of his car) around the time the murder went down.  A lady locksmith is intriguing all by itself! Cassie Jennings is working a non-traditional job which gives her a lot of practical insight into people’s lives (she’s an unlocker of secrets!) She’s a great hero to drive a novel, and she is up against two law men – one suspicious of her and treating her a  prime suspect, and the other interested in her and willing to help her both prove her innocence and find out who committed not just the bar murder, but the ones that follow.  Her ally, Detective Chance Martin, had moved to the small town to get away from “big city” crime in Minneapolis (which I’m sure exists, but I live in Brooklyn, NY, so I have to admit I smirked. Sorry Ms. Curry!) Wanting a quieter life, he now has to figure out the murders, and romance along the way.  Curry’s attention to character, place, and detail is enthralling, and combine to make a riveting read. The novel also fits into the new genres of romance fiction where female protagonists are solving problems and getting themselves into and out of trouble and find love and sex along the way; a huge leap forward for romance novels! With action, danger, murder, real feeling characters, and romance involved, it’s a novel that will enjoyed by a lot of different kinds of readers, and a great addition to a summer reading list.