Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Murder With a Splash of Rum: A Puerto Rican Murder Mystery
AUTHOR: C.E. Marion
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 254 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 9, 2017
BLURB:
Life in the Caribbean used to be simple: rum, sun, sand and sex. Then, overnight, everything changed. A serial killer has murdered several men in Puerto Rico, including a wealthy American tourist.
Fernando Amado is only 24, but his future is bright. He has a new boyfriend and an important new job. His days in the tropical paradise are filled with dancing and beach parties. But a chance meeting in a bar throws him into the middle of a murder investigation. The lead investigator, Alexandra Vargas, is a tenacious female detective who won’t stop until the killer is brought to justice. To do her job, she must choose between standing up to institutionalized discrimination or accepting the status quo.
The clues are there, but only a smart and dedicated police officer can stop the murderer before he claims his next victim. Fernando, the new boyfriend, and a mysterious bodybuilder hold the key to solving the case.
When a serial killer is loose in paradise, not even tourists are safe.
REVIEW:
This was really good. It has a surprise ending I was not expecting. But that’s the way murder mysteries love to work. You suspect one person because it’s so obvious with what he does, but it turns out to be someone else and the motives are usually insane. It was no different in this one. The murderer is severely messed up in the head and it all stems from his childhood. And it made for one hell of a book.
Fernando finally had some money to get some good clothes to go out in. He bought himself a special outfit, his mom had a fit over, lol, and decided to go have some fun. He thought he was hiding that he was gay, but his mom really knew and she loved him anyway. While he was out, he met a man named Phillip and they seemed to hit it off really well. The sex was amazing and it was a good time. But he knew now he was going to have to be extra careful with a serial killer running around. Over the weeks, Phillip was acting weirder and weirder. To the point, Fernando was fed up with him. But he had a hard time saying no to the man. But he was falling for someone else, so it was time to say goodbye. What he didn’t expect was how Phillip was acting and he hadn’t even broken up with the man yet. What he got, not only angered him, but pieces were starting to fall into place. And he may not make it out alive to tell the story of the man and what was really going on. What Fernando didn’t know was Alexandra the cop, already knew and was doing her best to save the man. And quickly, before he became the next victim.
Fernando was like any other man. He wanted to go out and have a good time and enjoy life. He wanted to pick up a man and have a wild night and go back home to his life. If he happened to find one he could keep interest in, then maybe things would be different. His thought that he had to hide himself was almost comical, because his mom already knew. She was just waiting for the right time to talk to him. But the bad part about going to the clubs, is most are for only one thing. It’s a pick up scene or a place for a quickie. It’s not for long term stuff usually. And with the serial killer running around killing gay men, it’s becoming a scary thing. But it didn’t get scary until the police lady showed that the men that were dead was some people that Fernando had known. He was scared to death he was a suspect at first, but he was just a witness. And then it became a whole new thing. He didn’t know what to do or think and just seeing the pictures made him sick.
It’s a good murder mystery. It does deal with homophobia, bigotry and so much more. Women aren’t really welcome as cops there and that made it harder for Alexandra, until she was the one to figure out it was a serial killer. Then things changed. She still had remarks made at her, but she was determined to do her job. It’s a good book.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: