A Composition in Murder: A Cherry Tucker Mystery by Larissa Reinhart

Cherry teaches art at the local retirement home and she enjoys her job.  Her only real worry is the fact that her brother is in jail.  It was a trumped up charge by a the family that hates her family.  (It's like the Hatfield and McCoy war.)  They don't like each other and that won't change.  She wants to help him and she's worried about her love life.  He's a stepson on the other side.  Can she live with that?

Henery Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

While Cherry worries about those issues, she should be worried about what's happening in the old folk's home.  These oldsters are misbehaving.  They like to drink and smuggle bottles in.  They sneak into one another's room and have sex.  There's a man who dances with everyone for $1 a dollar a dance or so.  And unbeknownst to her, they sell drugs on the side.

If that isn't bad enough, she's asked to witness a new will.  She does and the lady hires her to find out who the "snake in the grass" is in her business or family.  Then the woman dies a couple of days later.  They say it's a heart attack.  No, it's murder.  Cherry decides her "snake" she was searching for won.  But that's not the last death!

This is a moneyed family with a large business.  That family gets along almost as well and Cherry and her boyfriend's family.  No one wants to tell her anything.  She manages to get crosswise with the drug dealers and they come after her.

This is full bodied mystery with unique characters.  I wish the story was a bit more succinct.  The characters were almost overdone with detail.  Some times less words say more.  That's just a personal preference on my part.  The book was well done and I hope Cherry makes up her mind on marriage.  Luke is a good one and I'd hate to see her lose him, even if it might cause her some family problems.