About ‘One Way Out: Saddle Key Mysteries book 1’ by Sheila Fowler:
Genre: Cozy Mystery; Crime; Beach Read; Female Lead; Romance
Murders never happen in Saddle Key. Not until that fateful day after Hurricane Berta slammed our little island.
I’m the Chief of Police and the victim is the ex-wife of my High-School Sweetheart.
Something is still there between us, but what if he did it? What if Mike Armstrong killed his ex-wife?
A little Mystery, a little Romance, and a little Key Lime Pie!
Part of a series of mysteries in the Florida Keys small town Saddle Key . . .
Serious crime in unsuspecting places. In my opinion, one of the best setups for a mystery and the author wrote it wonderfully. Hurricanes are scary on their own, but this one has brought a whole new horror to the residents of Saddle Key. Chief of Police, Allie, discovers that her childhood sweetheart who left her fourteen years ago has returned. Along with him, the body of his ex-wife.
Despite knowing Mickey as a sensitive, standup guy, time has a way of changing people. The man standing before Allie today is not the same person as before and neither is she…but is there some modicum of their past selves still present? And is it enough for them to start over?
I tend to expect happy endings in cozy mysteries, as it is seems a common feature of the genre. However, happy doesn’t necessarily mean in every way and I was pleased to be kept guessing throughout the story. I loved the development between Allie and Mickey as well as that with Mickey’s daughter, Chloe. All the characters and the plot were thoroughly fleshed out. They felt real and I was easily drawn to them and into the setting.
I particularly enjoyed the aspect of Mickey’s ex-wife as an abuser not only to their daughter, but to him. The author handled this lesser talked about issue in an insightful way without sacrificing the novel’s ease of reading. I also appreciated Allie as a heroine. She’s in a position- as little Chloe points out- viewed more typical of men, yet everyone respects her authority. I felt that her contrast with Mickey’s abusive ex-wife really set into mind the equality between genders. Women can be abusers as well as heroes in roles that were traditionally thought of as masculine. Likewise, Mickey illustrated this point through being both the star footballer in his youth and the sensitive actor in his adult life.
While focused on Allie and Mickey, all the characters felt perfectly fleshed out, as was the plot line quick and easy to follow. I loved the family moments between little Chloe, Allie, and Mickey and I was in a love hate relationship with the persistent idea that Mickey was responsible for his ex’s death. I knew by the climax that whether or not he was guilty, I was still in love with the author’s story and his character, particularly where it involved his relationship with Allie and his daughter.
So check it out! I’ll be reading and reviewing book 2 soon!
Buy the paperback on Amazon!
(Also available on Barnes&Noble and BAM)
You can find the author on:
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Amazon
Author Website
((Review submitted to Amazon, Goodreads, BAM, and Barnes&Noble))
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