Cover Image: Palm Trees and Paparazzi

Palm Trees and Paparazzi

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Member Reviews

I haven't read all the books in this series, but I don't think it was really necessary to enjoy this one. I will have to go back and find the ones I didn't read, though, because they are so enjoyable. The mystery is ever evolving and keeps you guessing and the characters are fun and relatable.

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"If you end up arrested, I'm not getting you out," Maka said indignantly.

Ah, Maka.. You don't mean, that. Haven't all of us said that to one of our friends and/or lovers at one point or another and cursed them WHEN the inevitable has occurred? What makes it even more akward for Maka is that he IS a police officer and the person he's mentioning is his boyfriend which makes it oh so much funnier.

Synopsis:

Gabe Maxfield remembers Manuel Delgado all too well—since investigating him nearly got him killed. He’d be very happy never to see him again, but that’s not in the cards for him. When the mother of a missing socialite seeks out Paradise Investigations to find out what happened to her daughter, Gabe and best friend Grace Park are going to be thrown right back into Delgado’s world. Personal lives begin to interfere, as well, and soon they’ve got more on their plate than they can handle.


This book was a journey and had me laughing and engrossed in the casual mystery of it all. I'm a huge cozy mystery fan so when I saw this title available on Netgalley I knew I had to read it. This is the 3rd installment in the Gabe Maxfield Mystery series and no, I have NOT read the previous two books which kind of worried me. I'm kind of weird in a way that I need to read a series in order or I feel off kilter but I found that I was able to get into the world of Gabe and his friends very easily and the author, J.C. Long didn't make it too difficult for me to figure out what had happened in the last books. In fact this book has made me a fan of the series and I will definitely be adding the rest to my To read shelf.

Characters

The characters are a diverse cast set on one of the many islands of Hawaii and can I just say it was REFRESHING to read and not just have white white white people as well as LGBT. As a bi black woman, that...was wondrous. Gabe and Maka are such a cute couple and it was genuinely fun to read about their interactions as a couple and I loved...the food segments. Esecially learning about poke. It just made me want to try it more.

I have to say my favorite characters had to be the ladies though. Grace and Mrs. Neidermeyer.

Grace is a gorgeous Asian woman who is confident and bold and just going through complications with her love life at the moment and sucks at flirting (tell. me. about. it. GIRL) and Mrs. Neidermeyer is a woman in her 60s who wears halter tops in the office and does erotic cooking classes and pole dancing classes. YES QUEEN. FUCK IT UP!!

These two bicker like crazy and it made me cackle and I love it because I work with a woman somewhat like this but she's just all about her vodka and cranberries and it's...so hilarious.

My thoughts:

Great book. The plot was good! Gabe and Grace are hired by Helena Hu to find her daughter Christine Hu who is missing. There are rumors that she ran off with her personal assistant but when Paradise Investigations finds out that something more sinister is afoot, that's when things get a bit more dangerous. We also get some insight into Gabe's family life with his parents and Grace's dating with the hottt Jin Hamada.

My only negative is the ending seemed somewhat rushed. But overall, good book.

Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC . All opinions are mine. Please check out my blog for more reviews :)
http://aelilyreads.home.blog

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I'm a fan of cozy mysteries and I'm happy I requested this ARC because I discovered a new amazing series.
I liked the humour, the fleshed out characters and the wonderful setting.
The plot is engrossing, fun to read and keeps you turning pages as fast as you can.
The mystery is good, no plot hole, and it keeps you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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Three books in and I'm still hooked on Gabe and Maka. I really enjoyed my return visit to beautiful Hawaii. Gabe, Maka, and Grace remain likable, engaging characters and the storyline flowed well from beginning to end. All in all a very enjoyable read and great addition to the series.

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