Review - Death Waits in the Dark

I have reviewed a few of the prior books in the series including Book 1, A Dark and Stormy Murder (click here), book 2, Death in Dark Blue (click here), and a an author guest post (click here).  Here is my review of the new addition to the series.  

Writer's apprentice Lena London is back and better than ever when her friend bestselling suspense novelist Camilla Graham needs help solving a town murder that hits a little too close to home...

Author: Julia Buckley

Copyright: April 2019 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 4th in Writer's Apprentice Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Lena London, new writing assistant to a best-selling author

Setting: Modern day, Blue Lake Indiana

Obtained Through: Publisher (Netgalley) for honest review

From the book cover: "It's summertime, and Lena and Camilla are busy working away while a town vandal runs amok. Things get even more complicated when Jane Wyland pays Camilla a not-so-friendly visit and gives her an ultimatum: reveal Camilla's husband James's family secret, or she will. Lena assures Camilla that nothing will come of the woman's threats, since the family has no secrets to hide.

When Jane Wyland is later found dead, they're convinced that whatever secret she was planning to expose led to her death. With Lena's assistance, Camilla is determined to solve the case before the finger points at her..."

Our heroine Lena is back to contend with a murder that touches her and Camilla's world. Her boyfriend Sam is back and they are a cute couple, Policeman Doug Heller is still a significant character that I enjoy, BFF Allison and hubby John make a few appearances, Cliff Blake is a new addition of Sam's reunited brother, Isabelle Devon is an old high school friend of Lena's that moves to Blue Lake, and of course the animals - Lena's cat Lestrade and Camilla's German Sheperds Rochester and Heathcliff.   

What happened several decades before prompting a young girl to leave town and her sister to be murdered when she starts digging into the past is the main premise.  There is a bit of the question "How well do we really know even our closest friends... or a spouse?" that fuels the undercurrents.  The pacing was definitely page turning and gripping as danger swirls close to Lena.

The climax was harrowing and exciting, so I am delighted with it.  The wrapup is actually poignant and well done, making Lena more dimensional.

I enjoyed this outing in the series a great deal and highly recommend it to fans of the series and even to those new to it.  There was only one hiccup and that was an emotional side to Lena that is accentuated through the tensions of the story that seemed off.  Perhaps that was just me, so you will have to judge for yourself.  Overall this book is a great stand alone and fourth book in the series. 

Rating: Excellent - Loved it, it had a good grip on me! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list