Review: A Justified Murder by Jude Devereaux

Author: Jude Devereaux
Publisher: Mira books
Date of publication: February 2019

The small town of Lachlan, Florida, was rocked last year when two bodies were uncovered in the roots of a fallen tree. Despite their lack of investigative experience, Sara Medlar; her niece, Kate; and Jack Wyatt found themselves at the center of the mystery, working together to reveal the truth behind a decades-old secret in the sleepy town. After a narrow escape, they vowed to never again involve themselves in something so dangerous--until Janet Beeson is murdered.

When Janet's body is discovered, everyone is shocked by the violence of the attack. The sweet little old woman has been shot, stabbed and poisoned, but no one can imagine who would want to harm one of the town's kindest, most helpful residents. Sara, Kate and Jack are determined to leave this case to the professionals. But they are soon bombarded by townspeople eager to tell their stories and clear their names with the trio who solved the Morris murders. Even the sheriff is hoping they'll lend their skills to a crime that seems to have no explanation and no motive. And once the town gets talking, they begin to see that there are more secrets buried in quiet Lachlan than anyone could have imagined..

A Justified Murder is the second book in the Medlar Mystery series.  This one picks up months  after the events of the fist book.  Sara, Kate and Jack are reluctantly pulled into a murder investigation of a local woman who everyone said was a sweet old lady.  But was she?  I wouldn't say this one could really be read as a stand alone.  Reading the first book will give you a much better understanding of the dynamic between the trio of amateur detectives.  There isn't a lot of recap here.  

I wish I could say I enjoyed this one as much as the first one.  The mystery was good, but it just wasn't as engaging as the first one. I also kind of felt a little satisfied with the ending. Some of the humor from the first book was also missing here.  I did like how the three have grown closer and have formed a small family of sorts.  We also get to learn more about Kate's father. 

I do think if you liked the first book, this is worth a read.  I'll probably read the next one.  I just hope that Kate and Jack figure out their relationship.  I'm not a fan of "will they or won't they?" tropes that drag on for several books in a series.