Seven Ponds #2
Berry’s formula for this novel is not a totally new one, but it is an enjoyable one, to which she adds her own twist. 20 something Amber Winslow has left her private eye boyfriend and moved to Arizona, where she’s near her grandmother and her grandmother’s bossy and intrusive retirement community friends. Between them, they’ve started a very of the moment true crime podcast, Death Comes Calling. In this second instalment in the series, a mystery lands at their literal doorstep.
As barista Amber (she has to have a real job to supplement the podcast) delivers morning coffees to the retirement community, Seven Ponds, a car crashes into the community gatehouse. Inside the car is a girl with blood coming out of her nose, who says all she remembers is to find the Death Comes Calling podcasters. After that, it’s only moments before there’s an army of retirees taking the girl under their wing and getting her pronto to the Seven Ponds doc. The only person the girl – who appears to have amnesia – wants to talk to is Amber. She manages to tell Anber that the other thing she remembers is a dead Santa in her trunk.
On investigation it turns out there’s no Santa in her trunk but mysteries remain. The retirees nickname the girl Mal, but who is she exactly? Why was she looking for the podcasters? What happened to Santa? Amber takes Mal back to her apartment to sort things out. The two girls get along well with one another and Amber and her senior friends turn to sleuthing, using a bit of leverage with the local detective to get a look at recently arrested Santas. None of them look too promising, but the thread has been pulled, and there’s no going back, much to the annoyance of the police.
As Amber and her friends delve further into the mystery, they uncover a “Santa Conspiracy” as well as some family connections for both Amber and Mal that aren’t so great. Mal’s skill is that she knows when people are lying, and it comes in handy. The story is complex but not overly complicated, and Berry’s sense of humor keeps things on the lighter side. It’s the humor and sharp plotting that sets her books apart.
While this is the second in the series I wasn’t confused by the setting, though the retirees are definitely more in the background than perhaps they were in the first outing. This is really Amber and Mal’s story which has some heartbreak, some violence, and some redemption involved. While there is a Santa that kicks things off and the book is set during the holiday season, it’s not really a Christmas read, though it is a smart, fun read that might lighten your holiday stress. — Robin Agnew