Everybody Talks by Kitty James
Series: Kitty James Mystery, #2
Romance Suspense
August 15, 2015
Self Published
Reviewed by Tori
Daphne Arden has been trying to live down her mother’s wild antics for years but it’s hard when the gossip grapevine, nicknamed the beast, lives and breathes in her very own business, SPAkles Salon. Having been raised by her grandmother after her mother, Jolie, disappeared over 20 years ago, Daphne’s childhood was a mixture of speculation and innuendos. Having survived that gauntlet, all Daphne wants is to lead a quiet, respectable, boring life. But when her eccentric relatives refuse to act sane, dead bodies keep appearing in the pond behind her house, the gossip concerning who her father might be stirs back up, and the town lothario and former crush suddenly starts courting her, Daphne just knows the beast is getting ready to gobble her up for good.
This is my first time reading Kitty James but it won’t be my last. As an aficionado of small town romances, I was instantly encouraged when I was offered this for review. James’s voice rings true and clear as she opens her story with a look into the past at the heroine’s mother; giving readers an eye opener at just how wild this woman was. James then switches to the present to introduce us to our heroine, Daphne Arden, and show us how her mother’s actions from so long ago have affected her life and continue to do so in the present.
“Jolie made sure I was under a microscope my entire childhood…”
Everybody Talks is the second book set in Kitty James’s fictional town of Crestwood, NC. This small town romantic suspense series blends snarky humor, a multi-layered mystery, eccentric characters, and some steamy romance to build an engaging story that flows smoothly and evenly. Though this is the second in the series, I found it was self sustaining for the most part. James gives readers just enough to ensure anyone who has not read book one-Dragonfly-is not lost or confused. The namesake of the series, Kitty James, seems to take more of a supporting role in this installment to Daphne and her multitude of problems.
Heavily character driven, the story stays mainly in the present though it flips back to the past at pivotal moments in order to show the connections. Daphne mother was a real piece of work. A narcissistic, drug addicted, con artist, she used her beauty and body to get what she wanted leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Daphne was born as a means to an end but lucky for her, her grandmother was there to give her the love and care she needed. After her mother disappeared, Daphne was raised by her grandmother and took over her beauty salon after she passed away. Forced to live in the town that never lets her forget who her mother was and what she did, Daphne goes to the extremes to make sure no one can mistake her for her mother. She is discreet, keeps to herself, dresses conservatively, and never dates the locals.
“I didn’t like to let others know my reactions, preferring to keep my thoughts and emotions to myself. That as a direct result of having my mother, and as a result, my own, personal life subjected to small town gossip throughout my whole childhood.”
Daphne is a character we all like to root for. The underdog. Small towns are breeding grounds for gossip and in this town, Daphne has always been in their sights. Despite all this, she doesn’t let it get her down. She has a thriving business, a few good friends, and plenty of relatives who have her back. Hilarious internal musings had me rolling as she speculates on some cheating neighbors, her uncle’s side business out of the trunk of his car, and her friend Kitty’s unnatural preoccupation with murder.
“I hope I never got called to testify about anything she said, because it would mean I’d have to admit under oath that I had heard her say something like ‘the best way to fake a drowning is to tie a concrete block around the waist,’ or any number of similar things.”
The multi-plotted mystery circles back to Daphne’s mother as we began to piece together what is happening and it’s connection to Daphne. James uses humor to deflect the seriousness of the issues at hand, keeping the story on this right side of lightweight. An eccentric secondary cast has you shaking your head and giggling as small town residents often do. A small but delicious romance only further adds to the humor of the story. Daphne’s high school crush, homicide detective David Mitchell, has suddenly decided to make his interest known but she doesn’t trust him due to an incident from high school. The evolution of their relationship is cute and sweet as he overrides her objections faster than she can voice them.
“He’s awfully pretty isn’t he?”
Yeah, I guess so. If you like that type.”
“You mean single, tall, gorgeous, and employed?”
Everybody Talks does what it set out to do-provides an entertaining who dun it with a flair for comical mayhem. I look forward to seeing what Kitty and the town of Crestwood gets up to next.
RATING: B
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