I got to about 85% of this book and quit. It was too convoluted for me to finish given that I had skimmed so much of it.Boring descriptions such as these:
"followed a winding lane landscaped on each side by a continuous border of peonies, beds of brightly colored annuals, and magnolia trees. A manicured, terraced lawn swept out from a 15,000-square-foot porticoed, verandaed, columned, and black-shuttered three-story white antebellum-style mansion" Come on! I am sick of reading about the author's dream house.
and this:
"across a great room decorated with Persian carpets, teak tables, lambskin sofas, and hand-woven silk chairs in shades of blue, taupe, and gray. Glazed urns contained birds of paradise, fragrant orchids, towering ferns, and six-foot-tall pink, white, and blue hydrangeas. A rose garden lined both sides of the cobblestone walkway that led to a massive pool."
and this:
"Dinner started with an apéritif, brioche, and a cheese tray. Then came chilled crab with mango followed by leeks and corn in a veal velouté. The main course was filet mignon with asparagus risotto. For dessert, they both ordered crème brȗlée with red raspberries and dark chocolate shavings." The author not only has good taste in home furnishings but food as well..."
kept me from what might have been a good murder. On the plus side, someone did get eviscerated.
The erotic scenes and romance are really corny and amateurish. The MCs call each other names like Top Gun and Long Tall Drink. The worst is Baby Star. They fall in love in and move in together after 2 days. The inevitable 9" cock makes the obligatory appearance and let me tell you, it is one big "unit".
If you can tolerate all of that you might be able to stick with the murder/mystery part. I couldn't concentrate and had to admit defeat.