The Scent of Lies: Mystery with a Romantic Twist (Paradise Valley Mystery Series Book 1)

Evan Parker, Private Investigator, is shot in the head in his office late one night leaving Emily, his wife, a widow. 6 months later his murder is still unsolved. When Emily finds an unknown woman’s phone number in one of Evans old sweatshirts she begins to question how much she really knew about Evan. After a luncheon with her girlfriends, where the topic of infidelity came up, Emily decides to call this number. She asks this woman outright if she was having an affair with Evan. Delia, the other woman, tells her she had hired Evan to investigate her own husband. Delia owns a very large company and thinks her husband is having an affair and stealing from the company. She then asks Emily if she would consider taking over the case for Evan and finish what he started. Evan died before he could answer any of Delia’s questions. Thinking these cases might be connected Emily takes the case and with the help of her friends begins to uncover what is really going on in Delia’s life. When Delia’s husband is murdered and she is accused of killing him, Emily now takes on Delia’s murder case to try and clear her new friend. This is when Emily meets Colin the new police detective. He is a tall, muscular, handsome man and sparks fly instantaneously. However, they both try to keep their distance for personal reasons and professional. The chemistry between these two characters is great. At first they try and fight it, but they realize they can’t and this brings them closer to each other as they start to work together to solve this case, even when it threatens Emily’s life. I love this book. The characters are funny, witty, and strong. The friendships between the women are unbreakable and they are all there for one another. There are no graphic sex scenes or graphic violence in this book and the author states that you will not find this in any of her books, which I feel makes this book even better. Evans murder is not solved in this book, but it is kept in the background and not forgotten. Questions kept arising to cause Emily to doubt how much she really knew about her husband, and while some of these questions are answered in this book, the bigger ones are left for later. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance books where there is mystery, suspense, a handsome and strong police detective, and a strong female lead. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. This book is well written with detailed scenes and plot work. I was not disappointed in this book and don’t think you will be either!

I enjoy reading mysteries that have good storylines and keep you interested, but don't totally confuse you and freak you out. Books that are suspenseful, but not so scary that you have trouble going to bed at night. I like for the book to have moments of romance but nothing smutty or sexually descriptive. This book had all of the things I like in a mystery!You start off feeling quite sad for Emily. She misses her late husband and she also has to deal with the fact that his murderer hasn't even been found. She does have good friends (although Maggie is a bit annoying with her blabbering Emily's secrets) that love her and care about her. Emily decides to take on his last client, Delia, and that's when the excitement starts. She meets Colin, finds out some things about her late husband that actually lead to more questions about him, gets shot at, and more all happen in this book!In the end, some mysteries get solved but others still leave you questioning. That's how you start a series, folks! I'll gladly read the other books in this series so that I can find out what happens next and hopefully get some of those questions answered.So, all in all, The Scent of Lies by Debra Burroughs was a fun read and I do recommend reading this book!Some of my favorite The Scent of Lies quotes"If stupid hurt, most people would stop""Emily Parker," he said, "I think you are one spectacular woman.""That would be a smokin' hot lady PI to you, mister."

The Scent of Lies is Book 1 of 4 in the Paradise Valley Mysteries series by Debra Burroughs. This is a romantic mystery, but unlike many of this genre, it is not heavy-handed romance with the mystery as a sideline. The emphasis is on the mystery, or mysteries in this instance. I find that very refreshing. There is nothing wrong with romance, but if you are going to call it a mystery, that should be the focal point. Ms. Burroughs has an excellent balance of both throughout the entire book.Emily Parker is a young widow whose husband, Evan Parker, Private Investigator, was murdered in his own office 6 months ago. While looking for answers into his death, Emily discovers more questions. Was he really the man that she thought he was? When she is asked by a client of Evan's, Delia, to investigate Delia's husband, she is interested and encouraged by her close circle of friend's to take over Evan's P.I. business. Then Delia's husband is murdered. To complicate matters, Emily is introduced to the sexy new police detective, who is convinced Emily's first client is guilty of murdering her husband. Emily must fight for her client before Delia goes to prison for a crime she didn't commit. Or did she? Emily fights to prove Delia's innocence as she also tries to fight the budding attraction to the new police detective; who is trying to keep Emily alive long enough to see if she could be the one to mend his heart.Ms. Burroughs has the beginning to a winning series with The Scent of Lies. The reader is immediately rooting for Emily, for her to solve the case, get the answers about Evan's murder, and for the new romance building for her. She has several strong female characters and men that support them rather than feel threatened by their resolve. Not all of the answers are given, it is the beginning of a series after all. The reader is given enough to pique the interest to continue reading the series, but not a gratuitous major cliffhanger that makes the reader feel cheated at the end. I highly recommend The Scent of Lies. I will be reading the entire series of Paradise [...]

All of the Cozy Mystery books are quick, fun, enjoyable books with the usual ingredients of a great storyline, an intriguing mystery, fun and sometimes funny characters that are well developed, and a little romance.In this case, the author, does such a great job of putting all of these ingredients together, that it is definitely a recipe for success!I can’t wait to read more in this series, and I can see myself reading this book again (the highest praise I can give a book is having just finished reading it and knowing right away that I would read it again).Highly recommend!Connie Carswell@orcanut (Instagram)@orcaloopy (Twitter)Ottawa, Ontario

Interesting to read....

Great

Very enjoyable book. Good characters and well written. Lots going on to hold your interest, in fact I was reluctant to put it down.This is a fast paced murder mystery with a touch of romance thrown in. Loved it

Save your time. Realtor Emily becomes a PI overnight? Right. No mention of a license but her friend's lawyer husband still agrees to hire her to investigate to save his client. Emily gets her panties in a twist whenever the detective Colin expresses any doubt in her investigative skills. The writing is not smooth but amateurish, for want of a better word.