It's 1974 and Ellison Russell's life revolves around her daughter and her art. Audio book was a good format for this as my eyes were rolling so hard I probably couldn’t have read it anyway.Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband's mistress tends to ruin a woman's day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life. If you can get through the protagonist’s loathing of a country club lifestyle she still clearly embraces via designer clothes that are mentioned for no real reason, go for it.

This story has countless cliches of the country club mother portrayal, the grown daddy’s girl, and the incredibly judge-y portrayal of sex/sex workers. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind reading more from the author with this expectation in mind. The mystery seemed a little obvious after a certain point and the conclusion seemed a little ad-hoc.

All the characters have the depth of cardboard, with Ellison being the cardboard box her designer clothes come in. The beginning really hooks you, but around three-quarters of the way through waffles around with a lot of angst (like three chapters worth) and forced character growth on Ellison’s part via insufferable internal dialogue. I can’t say I’d recommend it but it was nice not having to think too hard or at all. I like Nancy Drew but the description for this book promised me something else (something clever). It’s definitely a whodunit with all the trappings of a classic Nancy Drew book: handsome men who are all inexplicably drawn to the main character for the sake of creating romantic tension and privileged backgrounds run amok. This series is not to be missed! Callie Beaulieu gives a excellent narration in this the first book in the Country Club Murders. With a great set of characters, well plotted and written. With the body count going up, Ellison need to finds the answers before the killer sends her to permanent slumber! Loved this fun and funny new series. But Madeline's murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes-kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail. Her major concerns are her daughter and her art. Not that it bother Ellison, as she had given up on her marriage some time ago. Madeline was Ellison's husband Henry's mistress (one among many). Where gossip is past over coffee or cocktails and no past is ever a secret! It's 1974, and when Ellison Russell's early morning swim in the Country Club pool is cut short with the discovery of Madeline Harper's dead body floating in the pool. For the Kansas City's well heeled gentry, membership to the Country Club is part of the norm. Tripping back to the past, to the early 70's in this new mystery series.

The deep end by julie mulhern