This is the second book in the Bridge to Death series. I was happy to see my favorite characters from Grand Slam Murders and to experience the nuances of Southern life in this quaint river town of Rosalie. The author is a master at throwing you off the track. If you like to figure out a good whodunit, this one is a challenge and a pleasure. This had a lot of fun turns!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
Playing The Devil by R.J. Lee is the 2nd book in the cozy A Bridge To Death Mystery series.
I was lucky to have read the 1st book in the series, Grand Slam Murders and I thought this book was a great continuation to the series.
I found it well written, original with an unique theme and had a great cast of characters.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Cold Reading Murder.

Wendy Whitaker, the local investigative reporter, has been trying to get a bridge group together at the Rosalie Country Club but the first gathering turns into a disaster when they are disturbed by a drunken brawl with 3 golfers nearby. Deciding to take a break and see if they can figure out how to handle the situation, they move to the RCC director's office only to be confronted by a power outage. Negotiating around by cell phone flashlight, a gruesome discovery is made of the body of the main instigator in the hot tub - apparently bludgeoned to death.

Wendy (also the daughter of the chief of police and dating the local homicide detective) goes into full reporter mode, tracking down clues and interviewing suspects.

I very much enjoyed this second installment of this series and look forward to more.

The characters are great and as a bridge lover, I want more bridge clues!

It was a quick read. It held my interest and wasn’t too easy to figure out. I would recommend it to others.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Wendy Winchester is not only a good investigative reporter, she would make a terrific policewoman, as both her father, The Chief of Police, and her boyfriend remind her frequently. While she is interviewing two very successful woman at a local Golf Club, she is also uncovering information that she shares with the two men in her life. She is able to find out things that they cannot. And they need all the help they can get to solve the murder of a thoroughly reprehensible example of a human being who meets his end in a hot tub during a wicked storm that knocked out the power. The fact that Wendy was there when it all happened puts her powers of observation to good use. It is not going to be easy. No matter how the others who were there might wish this man dead, all of them seem incapable of doing the deed.
He was an equal opportunity hater and his loved to spread his malice around. He was nicknamed the Devil for his prowess on the football field in high school. Some think the moniker is apt indeed.
So who did the world a favour? Was it one of the women he belittled or the bartender he insulted or his golf buddies whom he disdained? They all had both motive and opportunity. In fact, might there be teamwork going on here? You will need to read the book but the reader could not blame any one of them for removing this piece of trash. It had me guessing right to the end.
Four purrs and two paws up.

Playing the Devil by R.J. Lee is the second tale in A Bridge to Death Mystery series. Wendy Winchester got together with Deedah Hornesby, director of Rosalie Country Club, to organize the Rosalie Country Club Bridge Bunch. To complete their first table is Carly Ogle and Deedah’s son, Hollis. They are enjoying their inaugural bridge game until Carly’s husband Brent causes a ruckus and then the lights go out courtesy of the storm. Thirty minutes later the power is restored, and Brent is dead in the club’s hot tub. Detective Ross Rierson is on the case and, of course, so is Wendy. Wendy, an investigative reporter for the local newspaper, is quick to dive into the case, gathering information and trying to fit the pieces together to solve the case. Playing the Devil can be read on its own if you have not had the time to read Grand Slam Murders. The information a reader needs to know about Wendy and the town is included in Playing the Devil. Wendy is the daughter of Rosalie’s police chief, Bax Winchester and is dating Detective Ross Rierson. She has a knack for getting information out of people and solving crimes. Wendy wants to be a top notch investigative reporter. Brent Ogle was an obnoxious and pompous man who was lucky not to have been killed earlier in life. It was only a matter of time before someone did him in. He went to far this time and the killer took advantage of a power outage to do away with the man. There were eight suspects (give or take) who all had good reasons for wanting Brent Ogle dead. There are pointed clues to help the reader solve the whodunit before Wendy arrives at the solution. I thought the mystery went with the story. Those who play bridge will like that aspect of Playing the Devil and a preemptive bid is explained as well as utilized. I found Playing the Devil to be a slow starter, but I felt the pacing picked up after the crime takes place. There are a variety of quirky characters in the small Southern town of Rosalie, Mississippi. I thought the author captured the feel of the south. Playing the Devil is a blithe cozy mystery with a loathsome lout, a mystifying murder, a surfeit of suspects, a dreamy detective, and a nosy newsperson.

I found this, the second in the series, a bit slow at the start. Bridge isn't for me so I had to stick with it until more characters and the obvious victim where center stage. Once the very, very obnoxious, soon to be done in, husband of one of the bridge players was introduced the pace picked up. Brent had no redeeming qualities. He pushed somebody too far and the killer took advantage of a power outage during a storm to bash him over the head while he lounged in the club hot tub.
Wendy had a plan to start her own bridge club at the country club and Brent's wife was present when the crime occurred. Then there was the friction between Brent and the bartender, Brent and his golfing partners, friends since high school. Lots of suspects and Wendy, having her career sights set on becoming a top notch investigative reporter, is ready and eager to uncover the killer. It helps that her father is the local police chief and her boyfriend is a cop. The mystery had enough complexity to keep me guessing (wrong every time) and there were the needed red herrings, too. If you haven't read the previous book, that's fine, this one works as a stand alone.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Playing the Devil by R. J. Lee is the 2nd book in A Bridge to Death Mystery series, and another fun addition. Wendy Winchester is an investigative reporter living in the small town, Rosalie, Mississippi, her boyfriend is a police officer, and her dad is the chief of police Wendy enjoys playing bridge, and while playing at the country club a man gets into a scuffle at the bar. When the man is later found dead in the hot tub, Wendy is determined to find the truth. I enjoyed this book, and the plot and characters are well developed. You don't have to be a bridge player to enjoy this book, I'm not. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Regular cozy readers know that there are a lot of suspects in the murder of Brent, who is found bludgeoned in the hot tub at the Rosalie Country Club. Wendy, an investigative reporter at the local paper, has to investigate - just has to- because that's what she does. She's the daughter of the local police chief, btw, and she's got a nose for trouble. Set in small town Mississippi with a cast of characters who will seem familiar, it's a quick and entertaining read. Although it's the second in the series, it's fine as a standalone. It's also, for fans of the game, less reliant on bridge than the first one. Thank to net galley for the ARC.

I'm two minds about this book: on one side I appreciated the complex mystery and the characters, on the other side it seems too slow paced at times and I struggled to keep on reading.
I'm happy I persevered because I think the ending is good and overall it was an entertaining read.
I think it can be liked by a lot of cozy mystery lovers but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

4.5 Stars

This is the second book in the A Bridge to Death mystery series by R.J. Lee.

It is exciting to find all these new to me authors that I can try. And this book was definitely a winner to me! After reading this I went back and picked up book one on my Kindle.

This was a very complex Agatha Christie-like mystery. Wendy Winchester has a nose for sleuthing and her cop boyfriend and police chief father keep trying to get her to detect for them but she is having none of it. Her dream is being an investigative reporter. Wendy gets pulled into a mystery when a man ends up dead at a country club during a power outage. The victim was one of those annoying know it all types who used to be the quarter back in high school and in his current job shows up much of his competition. But all is not what it seems in his life. He is not very well liked and thus someone got tired of his BS and offed him!

I enjoyed this. Following along with Wendy was a very satisfying sleuthing experience. I never do seem to figure these things out but I liked watching the drama unfold in the pages of this cozy mystery. Such a well written and complex murder mystery. And there is even a clever twist at the end which I thought was pretty awesome!

I look forward to reading the previous book in this series and getting up to speed with all of Wendy’s accomplishments. Loved this so much! Looking forward to book three!

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Wendy Winchester is excited to get the Bridge Club playing at the local Country Club. But when a local bully is murdered during a black out while the bridge club was meeting, her investigative reporter chops are on full display. Eight suspects, all deny killing the man, but someone is guilty and Wendy aims to help find out who.

This book was a struggle for me to read. It seemed to drag on and never full captured my attention. That’s OK as everyone has different tastes and this one is just not for me.