Review: Random Acts of Murder by Christy Barritt

Having read Ms. Barritt's Squeaky Clean series, I knew I would be in for a fun ride with this one. The funny thing about it is that I don't usually enjoy reading mysteries. But somewhere along the way, I tried Hazardous Duty and was hooked! Somehow, Ms. Barritt has the skill to write fantastic characters that make me invested in their lives and waiting with baited breath for how they'll keep from getting killed. Because yes, this is a murder mystery (in case the title didn't give it away ;). I mean, I'm a girl who loves cute romances, not really a murder mystery type.

But wait, she includes the cute romance part too! Watching these two get closer while juggling secrets and a few white lies, oh and a murder or five, is so much fun! (I know. Fun and murder don't really seem like they're compatible. Yet they are. Trust me.) I just love being inside Holly's head. She's hilarious! I don't know how many times I laughed while reading this, but too many to count. And Chase? His history with Holly, along with simply liking her for who she is and teasing her a lot, combine with his personal struggles and genuine nice-guy-ness to make a great guy. I could watch their interactions all day. They're fantastic together.

As I said, the characters are where Ms. Barritt excels. And where she keeps me coming back to her stories. Because just writing a murder mystery is not going to draw me in. At all. But blend a cute romance, a heroine with a good heart who's struggling with a major life-changing circumstance, a hero who's made some bad choices in the past and is trying to rise above them, along with a mysterious killer who won't let Holly forget he/she is around, and you have a fun, tension-filled ride! And it's only book one. So you know more fun will follow! :)

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My heart slammed at a quick beat into my chest, each thump reverberating all the way down to my bones. I pinched the skin between my eyebrows as I tried to rationalize my actions. This wasn't just a haphazard stranger's home. And I wasn't breaking in for nefarious reasons. That was the good news.
The bad news had generated my new life mantra: engaging in random acts of kindness whenever possible. And not just any ordinary random act of kindness. Extreme random acts of kindness. Life was too short to do anything halfheartedly, after all.