Margaritas, Mayhem and Murder by Mary Cunningham

Margaritas, Mayhem and Murder is the first book in Mary Cunningham’s Andi Anna Jones Mystery series.

Andi Anna Jones wakes up to a phone call from Cancun jail. Her ex-stepmother is arrested for a murder on a cruise ship. Andi had finally put her differences aside and booked a cruise trip for her father’s widow and three friends. But looks like Ruby found a way to annoy Andi on a birthday trip too.

Ruby was getting too friendly with a fellow passenger named Lenny. He was a singer in Vegas before retirement. Things were going pretty well between Ruby and Lenny. Witnesses remember seeing Ruby with Lenny hours before he was found dead.

Ruby is being such a pain in the backside – the Mexican police are losing their patience over her antics. Andi has only one option now – go to Cancun, learn the truth about Lenny’s murder, and bring the killer to justice.

I love quirky characters in a cozy mystery. Andi Anna Jones Mystery is a fantastic series debut. Our main character/protagonist Andi might be a tad amateur at times. She meets the handsome Mexican sheriff and goes gaga – and there’s a bit of ra-ra-ro-ma-mance but that’s at the end. So, let’s start from the beginning.

Ruby calls Andi early in the morning and asks her for help. She’s arrested for a murder she didn’t commit. Now, Ruby is a pain and Andi can simply disconnect the call and go back to sleep. But you see, Andi promised her dying father that she would look after his widow. Ruby requests a lawyer – not just any lawyer, but the sleazy creep named Bert.

After a discussion with her sister, Andi decides the only way out of this mess is to reach Cancun and try to find the real killer- or at least help the Mexican police in their investigation.

The murder mystery takes Andi to Cancun and Vegas. There are a couple of twists which kept me guessing. The mystery itself is pretty good and keeps one hooked until the end. The same goes for killer’s identity – surprising and unexpected.

As I mentioned before, I love quirky characters. Andi’s teenage-girl-like blushing and dreaming (of the handsome sheriff) did seem a bit amateurish but it didn’t bother me much. The story is peppered with humor – the quirky kind.

Overall, this was an entertaining read. A good start to the series and I am eagerly looking forward for the next one.

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