Review: Grave Trouble

Title:  Grave Trouble

Author:  Camilla Chafer

Publisher / E-book Availability:  Available in PDF format from Chafer’s website. 

Summary:  The short story takes place between Books 2 and 3 of Chafer’s fantastically entertaining Lexi Graves Mystery series. Lexi’s father asks her to spy on her mum when he suspects that she’s having an affair.

Review:  I’ve loved Camilla Chafer’s Lexi Graves series ever since I came across the first Armed and Fabulous on Amazon’s Top 100 free Kindle Titles list.  Funny, gripping and with a sassy heroine whose forensic and romantic entanglements keep you laughing and reading, I was delighted to notice that she’d published a short story on her website.

The humour is – as ever – dry and more than a little chuckle-worthy.

“There’s a first time for everything. Hank MacIntyre’s mother was found in bed with a care worker at her residential home while his father was playing cards.”

And Lexi still manages to get tongue tied.

I think what I like best about the series is the fact that, written in the first person, we really engage with the heroine.  Lexi is bright and sexy, but she also has a habit of getting distracted and Chafer’s writing style manages to depict this without becoming overly convoluted. 

Being a short story, there’s not as much Soloman (Lexi’s boss) as would have liked, but Adam Maddox makes a brief appearance that promises so much more.  (“Fantastic. We can go anywhere you like. Kitchen counter. Couch. Bedroom.”)

All in all, Grave Trouble is an entertaining short story that should help to tide me over until Shock and Awesome comes out later this year.

CLA Seal of Approval: