Finny, a picturesque Pacific Ocean coast town that sits atop a steep bluff resembling a giant nose, is the setting of Dana Mentink’s debut novel in Barbour’s Heartsong Presents Mysteries line. As one soon discovers, however, the charm of the setting is enhanced by the quirky cast of characters that inhabit Finny.
When Ruth Budge, a nice, square woman as the author describes her, finds an unfinished romance novel that her late husband was writing, she is troubled that he kept it secret from her. Adding to her concern is the discovery of octogenarian Alva Hernandez sitting on the ledge of the town fountain that contains a dead body.
With characters like town caterer Monk, fortune cookie writer Dimple Dent, and art gallery director Napoleon Prinn in residence, the author skillfully weaves a story that combines humor with not one, but two murders. As the mysterious events concerning the deaths, drug smuggling, and family secrets converge in Finny, Ruth moves toward the moment when she must face a killer.
One of my favorite lines in the book comes when a policeman says the story is getting weirder by the minute. Ruth replies, “If it was a novel, I wouldn’t pay a nickel for it.” Dialogue like that peppers the entire book and makes it one of the most delightful reads I’ve had in a long time. The novel may cost more than a nickel, but it’s definitely worth the investment if you want to relax and be entertained with an amusing and tangled mystery.
