The Art of Love and Murder by Brenda Whiteside

The Art of Love and Murder by Brenda Whiteside
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full (342 pgs)
Heat: Spicy
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Poppy

Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband. A husband who wasn’t what he seemed. Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life.

Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible. As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.
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Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past…until Chance’s connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?

Descriptive and interesting, The Art of Love and Murder captured my attention from the first.

The book’s strength is in its characters and descriptions. Lacy and Chance are well drawn, well rounded, unique and interesting. They have strengths and flaws, interesting backstory and are folks I would have liked to meet in real life. Most of the secondary characters are also well done, though some are too much one thing. The villain is too completely evil (I really prefer a villain who might also have some good points … purely evil people don’t ring true for me) and I struggled to understand why women seemed to fall at his feet. He made my skin crawl. And Kitty was a bit over the top as a floozy, making me wonder what Chance ever saw in her. He’s not a shallow guy, and you don’t get much shallower than Kitty.

The setting was a character in itself. I loved the town! The author really made it come to life, not stinting on details (but not boring the reader either).

As a huge fan of mysteries, I found this one to be a bit disappointing. We know who the villain is from the start (much of the book is told from his point of view, and there’s no effort to hide his identity) and we know who the “mysterious” artist is, even if Lacy questions it at first. The clues are laid out with a heavy hand. We don’t know all the “whys” and I suppose that makes the journey interesting, but honestly, I read this book (and enjoyed it) for the characters and their journey and not the mystery.

Despite the few flaws, the writing kept me turning pages and I never once thought about setting it down. So, if you like a little light suspense with your romance, and prefer character driven novels, I can recommend The Art of Love and Murder.