A Lethal Arrogance

by D.S. Lang

2 out of 5

Synopsis

After returning home from her service as a United States Army Signal Corps operator in the Great War, Arabella Stewart’s goal, to save her family’s resort, seems within reach as the summer season progresses. She and her business partner, Mac MacLendon, look forward to re-establishing a successful championship golf tournament, once the signature event of the resort’s year. Problems arise when one of the contestants, an overbearing snob who has created problems at other competitions, clashes with more than one person. When he is found dead, the victim of a suspicious automobile crash, Bella once again helps Jax Hastings, the town constable and her childhood friend, investigate. As they pursue answers, Bella and Jax find several suspects who might have wanted to make the victim suffer for his lethal arrogance.

Review

Bella hopes that a golf tournament will turnaround the fate of her family's resort; but when one of the players is murdered, she has to kelp resolve it quickly.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Arabella Stewart series, but each book is a seperate mystery, and I felt at no disadvantage not having read the rest of the series first.

Bella is trying to return her family's resort to its pre-war glory. Not only for her own success, but to return the tourist trade to the town. She hopes that holding a golf tournament will help get things back on track.

Jax, the town constable, and the best friend of Bella's late brother, is brought in when golfer and all-round git, Cecil Lahey, is killed when his car goes down a ravine.

There's no shortage of people that would be happy to see Cecil dead, but Jax has to work out if anyone would have run him off the road.

The book casts an interesting light on what it was like for people, trying to recover after the war, on a personal and professional level.

Everyone was affected in different ways, and they all carried their own scars and secrets, most wanting to put those dark years behind them.

Unfortunately, this story wasn't for me.

There was no sense of intrigue building. We are told everything. Both the narrative and dialogue of the characters felt like a bunch of statements, and I got the feeling of being talked at and lectured, rather than being able to enjoy a story.

For similar reasons, I felt no connection with any of the characters. Despite being told how different everyone was, they all came across very samey.

The blunt narrative made it impossible to feel any friendship, or growing relationship.

We are constantly told that Bella and Jax are a thing. Nothing official, but inevitable. I felt no more emotion between them, than Bella and any other character.

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