The Deep End (The Country Club Murders #1)
by Julie Mulhern (Goodreads Author)
Paperback, 255 pages
Published February 17th 2015 by Henery Press


Goodreads synopsis:
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.

It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.

As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?

***

5 stars

The first book of this wonderful series starts off with a bang when Ellison Russell, socialite, swims right into the dead body of her husband’s mistress. You would assume that Ellison would be suspect number one but strangely enough her husband has gone missing as well.

This story takes our heroine from the halls of the country club to the back alley sex club.

This was an excellent mystery and I do not want to spoil it for you. All I will say is that YOU MUST READ THIS! It is an awesome story with a cunning adversary and a courageous protagonist.

If you love all those cop shows from the 70’s, cop shows in general or anything that is mystery related. You will love this. Check it out.

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

This was a thoroughly enjoyable cosy mystery on par with the other superb series put out by Henery Press. Would recommend to others.

Ellison Russell is enjoying a lovely swim in the country club’s pool when things take a not so lovely turn. She swims right into the dead body of her husband’s mistress. Naturally she becomes the prime suspect in the murder. However, Ellison couldn’t care less about her husband’s mistress. She knows all about her husband’s cheating ways, kinky sex and blackmail schemes. In fact, she doesn’t even want to be married to the guy any longer. Killing his mistress would serve no good purpose for her, but the police aren’t buying it.

Her overbearing mother has a few things to say as well. She's more interested in Ellison keeping up appearances and meeting a nice guy to settle down with. Meanwhile, Ellison spends her time trying to please her mother while taking care of her teenage daughter and dealing with her husband’s nastiness.

When other dead bodies start showing up everywhere Ellison goes, she looks more and more guilty each day. She’s determined to find the killer on her own and prove her innocence.

The Deep End takes place in the year 1974 in Missouri. It's a unique take on the cozy genre. I found the setting to be intriguing and the characters to be well-developed. Some were quite unconventional. The mystery takes a few twists and turns along the way and keeps your interest until the end. I was very surprised at how it all wrapped up. It’s a captivating novel and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.