In Linda Greenlaw's Bimini Twist, the 4th installment in the Jane Bunker Mystery series, this compelling storyline is twisted and send you spinning in a tailspin. Meet Jane Bunker. She wears two hats in Green Haven, Maine--she works as a deputy sheriff for Hancock County and also a marine insurance investigator. It all started for Jane that she had been assigned to look for a missing Romanian girl named Bianca Ciariac, while her thorough drug busts had been put on hold by her boss. While she was looking for her, she boarded one boat named the Princess of the Seas and meets Pete Alford, the chief fisherman there. During her boat ride, she witnessed a ramming of one other cruise ship and then later had killed Ron Thomas. As insurance adjustor for the company, she discovered more than she bargained for, when the chief suspect had suspiciously died by his own gear. Meanwhile, another call had come out about a missing maritime cadet named Franklin Avery, and later he was also presumed to return to Rockland the next morning on the ship. But while Jane had tried to put two to two together, things had gotten awry, when he turned up dead. More suspicions had swirled around in Jane's head, when she discovered other missing women had gotten missing on the ship with help from her assistant Deloris. In the end, she had gotten into herself a nasty bind of a potential coverup of something more sinister and learned the bitter truth behind it.

Having left the big city of Miami behind, Jane Bunker works as an insurance investigator and as a part-time Deputy Sheriff in her small town of Green Haven, ME. Jane has been successful rounding up active members of the prevalent drug trade in the area, so much so, that her boss asks her to lay low during the tourist season, because the powers-to-be fear the notoriety of the drug busts might impact negatively on tourism. Thus, Jane picks up a case of a missing foreign student working at a nearby resort, on an F-1 foreign student work visa. Initially, everyone, to include Jane, thinks the student is just off on a jaunt and will surface soon. However, days go by with no clues or word about or from the student, Jane begins to change her mind, figuring the disappearance is more than a young person’s jaunt. Then, Jane begins work on another case of a missing maritime student who is enrolled at a nearby maritime academy. To complicate matters, Jane has been invited to the annual solstice affair by the town’s richest and most prominent couple. Jane prefers not to go but has been tasked to represent the locals at the party by her boss. During her investigation, Jane stumbles upon some suspected murders, all involving the well-to-do local fisherman Pete. To complicate matters, Jane has agreed to be his date at the solstice party. For the first time in a long, long time, Jane is interested in something other than her job, her younger brother and the elderly couple with whom they live. Soon things spin out of control, as Jane begins suspecting that the missing students are connected to the mishaps involving fishing boats and deceased locals. Through dogged detective work, Jane works through a myriad of clues, red herrings and events to figure out what exactly is going on, as well as how, or if, everything is connected.

This was a well written book. I have read others by this author, but only years ago. I recognized her name and thus requested this for review from NetGalley. As with the others I have read, I enjoyed this one thoroughly and was hooked from the get-to. One thing I did miss was any real chemistry between Jane and Pete, but I decided that was because each of them was just very dedicated to his/her job and had little time for relationships. However, there was a spark when they were together. The way Jane (and the author) pieced together the clues and seemingly unrelated events to figure out what was going on was rather interesting. I also thought the supporting characters, especially the couple with whom Jane and her brother live, added a lot to the story and kept things rather lively. I do not think I have not read any other books in this particular series, though what I did read by this author was so long ago I am not sure, but will now go back to look at, to read, and possibly re-read them. This is a well-done mystery cum romance, with not all that much emphasis on the romance side of things. Still, this romance side will probably play out in later books in the series. I think it is a great idea to have a strong female character as the lead—who is not only interested in a man, but who cares deeply about her job/career.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Bimini Twist by Linda Greenlaw in exchange for an honest review. This is the fourth installment of the Jane Bunker series, although this is a first for me. I find myself at a loss to categorize this book: it is somewhere in between a police procedural and a cozy mystery. Deputy Sheriff Jane Bunker is the law in the small town of Green Haven. Because it is tourist season, she is asked to tone down the drug busts for the summer which leaves her with a missing person case. Jane takes on the case to keep busy but does not realize that this investigation will involve a boat sinking, assault, attempted murder, kidnapping and murder, among other crimes. The story starts out well but I found the middle had too many unneccesary details which slowed down the momentum somewhat. This is then redeemed by a tension-filled and satisfying ending. If you like your murder mysteries lite, this is the book for you.

Bimini Twist

A Jane Bunker Mystery

by Linda Greenlaw

St. Martin’s Press

Minotaur Books

Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 26 Jun 2018

I am reviewing a copy of Bimini Twist through St. Martin’s Press:

It’s like everyone in Green Haven knows that Jane Bunker has scored an invite to the ultra exclusive Summer Soiree and they all assume she will be attending as one of of the few single/ eligible women in town. That’s however the last place Jane wants to be, hobbnobbing and making small talk with the wealthy isn’t something she finds enjoyable. She prefers to use her time working as an insurance investigator, and part time as a deputy sheriff. When she gets to work one morning, the Sheriff asks her to take a break on her personal war on drugs. She’s been so successful at catching dealers and interrupting the flow of drugs that she’s brought attention to how bad it had gotten and the community fears the negative publicity will deter the summer tourists Green Haven so badly needs.

Jane is instead asked to take on a missing person case. A young woman working at the Bar Harbor Inn has disappeared. The inn hires foreign exchange students from all over the world during the busy summer season. The missing Bianca Chiriac is one of them. It soon becomes obvious that Bianca isn’t simply sleeping off a late night party, Jane is plunged into the underbelly of the resort town, she must find the missing woman before the worst happens!

I give Bimini Twist five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

This is the 4th Jane Bunker Mystery and my first by the author in the series. I do recommend this book quite highly and it can be read as a stand alone to the series. I look forward to exploring the previous books in the series.
I enjoyed the location of Maine in a small town so aptly described by the author. The reader instantly feels they are enjoying small town Maine.
The protagonist of this series is Jane Bunker who works as an insurance investigator, and part-time as the deputy sheriff in the small town of Green Haven. Having arrested and publicized to many drug cases , Jane is told by the sheriff to concentrate on cold cases and a missing person case. Apparently the town does not like the publicity in the summer season. Feeling sidelined Jane is assigned to try to track down a missing young European woman along with another missing student .

Her social life is heating up with a invite to the exclusive Summer Solstice Soiree. Pete, the nephew who invited her stands her up . Jane is not concerned until a boat sinking occurs and he may have been involved. Soon she is involved in other mysterious happenings in her town that may involve the missing people. .

I enjoy the very quirky local characters , the setting and the plot. This was a fast paced interesting read with a strong savvy female protagonist. I look forward to the next in series and to catching up with the previous books This is a well crafted story with a fun sleuth. Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

Exciting and fast-moving mystery. The characters were easy to understand and relate to. Skipped over some of the boat details to hurry on with the story. Not a boat person, so not interested, but they did seem appropriate. I enjoyed my first experience with Jane Bunker and eagerly look forward to reading the next one in this series.

Jane Bunker has been a massive success since moving to Green Haven, Maine at what she loves to do. Namely, catch drug dealers and disrupt the drug pipeline that has hurt so many Mainers. However, the town fathers think she has been a bit too successful and want her to scale back her efforts. They are afraid the summer people won't want to come if there is so much publicity about drug busts. Deputy Bunker has been relegated to other incidents. Her first is the disappearance of a foreign worker at a local spa. The girl's roommate is distraught, but Jane thinks she is just shacked up with a boyfriend. After all, missing teenagers usually turn up in her experience. Jane's investigation leads her to a cruise ship anchored off Bar Harbor. The ship's personnel are less than co-operative, and since it is chartered in Bimini, she has no jurisdiction without a warrant. Complicating matters are the ongoing feuds over territory and gear among the local lobstermen which have escalated dramatically. Bimini Twist is twisty indeed, with another disappearance, several murders, and an attack on Jane herself. There is a lot more going on here than one missing girl.

I enjoy the Jane Bunker mysteries for the Maine setting and characters. Jane's landlords, the Vickersons, treat her and her Downs Syndrome brother, Wally, like family and she has made other friends as well. Without them, Jane would be entirely consumed by her work. She has almost no personal life, but that may be changing with the introduction of a new character and the possibility of romance. Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

This is the latest in a wonderful series. Linda Greenlaw is accomplished writer, especially when she describes the rural Maine environment, the temperament of the people who live there, and the difficulty of making a living as a lobsterman or fisherman. She definitively understands the tensions between the permanent residents and the summer group, who hire the permanent residents to cook and clean their mansions. She is also accomplished at creating an interesting mystery for the protagonist to solve. Her characters are all well developed, and I am especially fond of the bond she has formed with her developmentally challenged brother. I've come to expect a lot from a new Linda Greenlaw mystery and she has never disappointed. I highly recommend this book.

The writing style absolutely did not work for me. I didn't get very far with this one.