Bullseye

Bullseye is the debut book of the new whodunit Jesse Quinn Detective Series. A. E. Howe, author of the Larry Macklin Mysteries says that Bullseye is, “A fast paced whodunit with lots of surprises! Deputy Jesse Quinn is a welcome new addition for mystery lovers.”

Not just a police procedural class mystery, Taylor is strong on the relationships of her characters and the personality of St. Augustine, Florida. Jesse Quinn, following in her father’s footsteps, is a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s department. The only female detective on the major crimes squad, she and her partner Rafe Morgan are sent to investigate the bludgeoning death of a well-known socialite. Dan Hoffman, the dead woman’s husband came home from work and found her laying in a puddle of blood and called 911. Jesse has known Dan for years and doesn’t believe he would kill his bride of eleven months, but the woman’s father, an influential man in town who never approved of his daughter’s choice of husband, wants him arrested. Before that can happen, Dan himself is found nearly dead in his hotel room of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot.

Being a woman in law enforcement can be challenging enough, but being a detective means there’s more to prove – to herself and her peers. As the investigation unfolds, Jesse and Rafe are hunting for two men, one named in the dead woman’s diary that may be an illicit love interest, and another whose fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. That man - on the run – claims that the woman’s murder is tied to a long-ago cover-up over an incident in Afghanistan and to two previous deaths, but before he can reveal more, he is killed. Was he right about the conspiracy? Or is that just another dead end?

Four people are dead, and two more attempts have been made. A rival in the Sheriff’s office wants to take over the investigation and pressure is mounting to arrest Jesse’s friend. Will she and Rafe be able to put all the pieces together before she is sidelined and Dan is put on trial for his wife’s murder?

Working furiously to accomplish as much as possible in the first 48 hours, Jesse’s investigation leaves her two teenagers home on their own: a son who is barely on speaking terms with his father and a thirteen-year-old daughter way too eager to grow up. Her mother, rather than being supportive, disapproves of Jesse’s career in general and encourages her granddaughter’s disrespectful attitude. As if her divorce wasn’t painful enough, her current family dynamics add to the pressures that threaten her confidence and effectiveness.

Then there’s Seth. An intriguing man who came into her life as a tutor for her struggling son has made no secret of his interest in her as a woman. Up to now, Jesse has done her best to avoid complicating her life by giving in to the attraction she can’t deny exists. Seth is fun, supportive and caring, everything her former husband wasn’t. Should she stick to her plan to stay uninvolved, or stop fighting a temptation that just might make her life better?

While the action in this series starts right away, the flavor, patience and complexity of Louise Penney and Agatha Christie mysteries are readily evident to savvy whodunit fans. A very capable detective pursues an equally capable killer through a complex warren of tips, trails, deceptions and personal challenges.

Lovers of a strong female protagonist who is both courageous and flawed will love this dynamic new series by Skye Taylor as she breaks into the mystery genre with guns blazing.