Murder at Mabel’s Motel

I've long been a fan of G. A. McKevett's Savannah Reid series, so when I saw this book on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I didn't realize it was a series about Savannah's granny, Stella! I also didn't realize this was the third in that series. But my jumping in the middle didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying this book.

Stella Reid is raising seven of her precious grandchildren. It's a tough row to hoe sometimes, what with their father being out of the picture and their mother being in prison. But Stella loves those grandchildren something fierce, and with the help of friends, she finds a way to make everything work. (Savannah is one of those grandchildren - we meet her as a precocious 13-year-old with an interest in detective work, and I loved getting to learn her backstory.)

Most folks in McGill, Georgia, are good folks. Sure, there are a few characters around town, but people know them and generally accept them. But Billy Ray Sonner and his running buddies - the Lone White Wolf Pack, as they call themselves - have gone beyond the pale. They're responsible for heinous activities like burning a cross on the lawn of a Black family and assaulting a well-liked young Latina woman. So when Billy Ray is found dead at an abandoned motel on the outskirts of town, nobody really mourns his passing much. But when it turns out to be a homicide, Stella jumps in to offer Sheriff Manny her unique insights on the situation.

I love Stella! I'm getting to be a mature woman myself, so I do enjoy a book that has a protagonist closer to my age. And I love that she has a potential love interest in Sheriff Manny, if they can ever get a break from the crime-fighting and the grandkid-raising.

I appreciated that, even as the book dealt with the timely topic of racism, it also mixed in a good bit of humor with the seriousness of the criminal investigation. McKevett also did a good job of throwing out red herrings. I'd think one person must be the guilty party, and then bam! There's a twist, and we're off in a different direction.

In short, this was a well-thought-out book that was a delight to read.