Author Description

Nothing much happens in Port Cabrillo. That’s what residents used to tell themselves before the 50-something Hunter triplets returned to the sleepy little beach community where they grew up. Charlotte, a San Perdito County prosecutor, Emily, the Port Cabrillo Chief of Police, and Anne, their late mother’s caretaker-turned-amateur-sleuth, were just about to embark on their fourth cold case when Charlotte makes a decision that turns their world upside down. But the plucky trio rise to the challenge as they attempt to crack a triple homicide that took place on Anacapa Island on December 19, 1973. Not only is the narrative based on real-life events, but there’s plenty of evidence that this mist-shrouded island boasts a rich history. The Chumash resided on the Channel Islands centuries before Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the man who gave his name to Port Cabrillo, sailed by in 1542. Sheepherders arrived in 1907 and were quickly followed by Prohibition rumrunners and shipwreck treasure-seekers. Pull up a chair and join the investigators as they gather under the Victorian chandelier to share a sumptuous meal and brainstorm their way into figuring out both “who dun it” as well as how he/she got away with it for four decades. But their task seems formidable when all the existing paperwork provides more questions than answers. The plot of this thought-provoking and richly detailed cozy, you might say, needs more than a lighthouse to provide enough illumination to penetrate its persistent fog. So if you are attracted to complicated murder mysteries that incorporate history, spirituality, the paranormal, food, and dogs, this smartly written page-turner should prove an amusing and entertaining read.