Book Review: Skating Around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau

Skating Around the Law
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Series: Rebecca Robbins Book 1
Publication: Worldwide (2012)

Description: Rebecca Robbins is a woman on a mission---to sell the roller rink she inherited from her mother and get back to Chicago. Fast. However, when she discovers the dead body of the town's handyman headfirst in a rink toilet, potential buyers are scared off. Now Rebecca is stuck in a small town where her former neighbors think she doesn't belong, living with her scarily frisky grandfather, Pop, and relying on a police department that's better at gardening than solving crimes.

Eager to move forward with her life, Rebecca begins investigating the murder herself, reluctantly accepting help from Pop and his extensive social network, which includes a handsome veterinarian and a former circus camel named Elwood. Nevertheless, someone isn't happy she's looking into the case, and their threats will have her questioning whether playing sleuth was such a good idea after all.

Joelle Charbonneau's debut is a sheer delight---a laugh-out-loud mystery with plenty of heart.

My Thoughts: This story introduces Rebecca Robbins. Rebecca is back in her home town of Indian Falls to try to sell the roller rink her mother left her after her sudden heart attack. Rebecca is eager to return to Chicago and take up her life again. But before she can do more than hire a realtor, local handyman Mack is found dead in the ladies room - drowned in a toilet.

Since the sheriff seems to have Alzheimer's and is certainly more interested in taking care of his garden and the deputy isn't much more interested or capable, Rebecca feels like she has to solve the crime herself if she ever wants to get out of Indian Falls.

Someone doesn't want Rebecca to investigate. She finds a threat on the front door of the roller rink written in lipstick and someone flattens one of her car tires with a nail pulled from a crucifix at the Lutheran Church. But Rebecca is determined. She has a wide variety of suspects including a number of the town folks who were unhappy with Mack.

Could her suspect be Lionel who is the new veterinarian in town and a real hottie who argued with Mack about a job he was supposed to do for him? Or did the argument her mother's best friend Annette cause her to want him dead? What about the retired librarian who was angry at Mack for kicking one of her precious cats?

Rebecca isn't investigating alone. She is assisted - more or less - by her grandfather. Pop is quite the heartthrob among the senior citizen set which Rebecca finds intensely embarrassing. He seems to have a new lady every day and every night.

I enjoyed the humor in this story and the large cast of quirky characters. I was especially fond of Elwood the hat-wearing camel.

Favorite Quote:

The rink had been vandalized. My car tire had been crucified. Now Santa Scarecrow was being burned at the stake for crimes against humanity. The threats were escalating.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.