First Gear

Sadie Hawkins is a short and sassy Texas girl who's inherited the family shipping business. A job goes horribly wrong when there's a dead man in a sarcophagus instead of the expected mummy, and Sadie feels like she's got to help the investigation along to save her business.

This is Patricia C. Lee's first mystery novel, and it was a fun read! It's got a strong-willed female heroine in Sadie, a couple of “will they/won't they” love interest possibilities, and suspense aplenty. The action moved along at a good pace, and I felt like the characters were all developed sufficiently for their roles in the story. And the ending, while not a complete surprise to me, did have me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it played out!

Since it's the first in a series, there are a lot of characters introduced. I didn't have any difficulty keeping them straight, and I'm hoping this means we'll see more of Sadie and friends in the future. First Gear is a quick, enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good, clean mystery read.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.