Book Review: Gimme Shelter by Libby Klein

     Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Kendington Publishing via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own

This whip-smart, witty series packs an emotional punch within an engaging mystery as Layla Virtue, a 30-something recovering alcoholic and former cop turned party musician, finds a sideline in solving murders from her new home in a Potomac County trailer park…

Synopsis:

As the song says, you can’t always get what you want. Maybe that’s why, instead of fulfilling her youthful dream of being a rock star, Layla Fortune is living in a trailer park while playing third-rate gigs, including a stint at a ʼ70s Abba brunch. Given everything else she’s been through lately, she’s not complaining (much) about satin ruffles and go-go boots. She has a squad of supportive new BFFs, and she’s reclaimed a relationship with her famous rocker dad. His recent diagnosis has brought them even closer—sharing the trailer park’s lake house, which he’s had remodeled in typically over-the-top style.

Layla’s dad loves his new community and the feeling seems mutual. So, why is one of them blackmailing him? It’s a mystery almost as baffling as the assignment Layla receives from her former Commissioner: look into the brutal murder of a mild-mannered school teacher. Archie Wilkins was bludgeoned with a candelabra, shot up with drugs, and stuffed into a church confessional. Not the kind of outcome expected for a guy reputed to be the world’s nicest.

Perhaps Archie had secrets. Perhaps everyone does, including Layla’s one-time cop colleagues. She’s been blaming herself for a deadly ambush that destroyed her career and her peace of mind, but as her new friends help Layla regain her memories, a different picture emerges, and it’s one that forces her to question so much that she’s taken as truth . . .

Review:

This follow up to Vice and Virtue, has Layla's dad now moved into the main cabin at the trailer park, and having bought the trailer park for Layla, using it as a place to lay low while he deals with his health issues. His local hi-jinks with the local retiree fan club of ladies continues, and when the truth of the new ownership comes out, suddenly Layla is in charge, and fighting off the whims and wishes of all the local residents, while slogging thru bad gigs, thanks to an irate manager. Meanwhile the threats start to come to her dad and she has to call for his security team. Add in some PTSD with her bestie, and her own PTSD coming into play when asked by her former boss to help them on a seemingly unsolvable murder, and it's a set up for craziness. But Layla, like Stephanie Plum, always has a trick up her sleeve- her AA besties who use their knowledge base to help her solve the crime and mystery of the threats, while helping her to recover her memories, and maybe start to clear her name. A roller coaster, laugh out read, don't miss this fun sophomore book in the series! Can't wait for book 3, and you wont be able to wait either after reading this fun book (which seriously needs it's own TV series!). 

About the Author:

Libby Klein is author of the Vice and Virtue series and the Poppy McAllister mysteries. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she writes out of her Northern Virginia home with her sweet black Lab named Vader, and a very naughty Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle. Visit her online at LibbyKleinBooks.com.