While things have settled down for the characters, relatively speaking, Martin digs down again to present another unpleasant but well crafted murder plot: remains of a once famous actor are found on the family grounds during a polo match. This time Nora’s search for journalistic truth unravels animal hoarding, and some pretty extreme psychological abuse along with the usual bevy of hidden family secrets.

Michael is a more active participant this time around which conveniently feeds into the whole Blackbird curse mythology that’s part of the series: all Blackbird women who marry are doomed to be widowed young. Michael survives, of course, but a series of maybe accidents provides a convenient of angst for the romance angle.

The ending is well done, but a hot mess; nobody comes out unscathed by the end, with the exception of one person, who tries to offer Nora some perspective on her own life. It’s a slightly more uplifting ending than perhaps this story deserves but it leaves the reader feeling at least a little lighter hearted. ( )

Nora Blackbird is one of three old money sisters who happens to be the local paper's Society Page reporter. During a memorial polo match for a disappeared/deceased relative, famous movie star Penny Devine, Nora finds a severed hand in the grass. The Devine family claims the hand belongs to Penny, but it turns out to be the hand of a man....

Nora is engaged to Mick Abruzzo, who has Crime Family ties. When Mick helps Nora with her investigation of her relatives' farm his leg gets caught in a steel trap just inches away from an illegal tiger enclosure..... Detective Bloom, who is jealous & hates Mick, is doing everything he can break up Nora's engagement.

There are many other sub-plots going on as well.......

I found the book's plot & story interesting.

I liked the characters, especially Nora, they were believable and not made into those unmitigated stupid caricatures of women that seem to be the popular trend with mystery authors.


( )

Very good and funny

Nora finds herself in the middle of yet another mystery, this time: What happened to a local celebrity and whose hand was it that she found at the polo match? Yep, it can only be a Blackbird Sisters Mystery. These books never fail to delight. The couture alone is worth reading the book. But there is so much more. Best read in series, otherwise, the mind just might boggle. ( )