"Think Murder" by Cassidy Salem

[sahmoun2778]

First, I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read her book. Second, you need to read this book! This little mystery is a real gem.

Adina Donati is a young lady just starting out her career in Washington, D.C. She works for a think-tank as a researcher during the day, and volunteers at a dog rescue center at night. On Wednesdays, she and her best friend Hilary stop in at McSweeney’s bar for a drink after work. This particular Wednesday everything is going as usual until Hilary ends up dead on the bathroom floor. Adina finds herself being swept up in the police investigation which begins to focus more and more on the work Hilary was doing at the think-tank. She also finds herself in danger after she takes over the project that Hilary’s death left unfinished.

You can’t help but like Adina, who is just a regular person getting caught up in terrible circumstances. Her dating life has gone stale and her mother is constantly trying to match her up. She lives by herself and struggles with the loneliness that comes with it. She gets bored at work and succumbs to social media surfing when she just can’t focus. I could totally relate to all of it. Luckily for Adina the author is about to send a couple of hunky guys her way, just at the moment she needs to be rescued.

This story was very well-written and the narrative flowed smoothly and at a steady pace. I found it difficult to pull myself away from it once the story got going. The characters were believable and felt real to me. I also really enjoyed her descriptions of the parts of the city Adina finds herself in, such as Farragut Square and the Library of Congress.

Lovers of cozy mysteries with some danger thrown in will really enjoy this book. This is meant to be the first in a series and I will be looking for future installments. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.