Murder's Legacy:

Anita Dickason has done it again. She's written a book that keeps me scrolling through the pages well past my bedtime.

We met Tori Winters in Deadly Keepsakes, and I fell in love with her. Tori has unexpectedly inherited a mansion and a pile of cash from the grandmother she never met. Now she's working to turn the mansion into a bed and breakfast, whose name, the Red Door Inn, is a nod to the house's history. Murder's Legacy opens with the renovations grinding to a halt when the secret tunnel collapses, revealing a long-dead body. Some items with the body may offer clues to his identity and who killed him.

Before Tori has a chance to figure out what happened, she's getting hit with cancellations of permits, surprise inspections, and talk from the city that they may condemn the property. (That escalated quickly.) And the local newspaper publishes articles that seem almost prescient, like maybe the reporter has some inside information (where are they getting that, hmm?). Tori knows her property isn't a hazard. She's got the engineering analyses to prove it. And she knows she's got to get to the bottom of this, and fast, or she stands to lose her home and the new business that she and her four friends are working hard to launch.

This is a non-stop thrill ride of a book. Every step Tori takes to unravel the mystery, the killer has the jump on her. Not only is she in harm's way, but the killer won't hesitate to hurt others if it serves their purpose. This really ramps up the tension of the story.

We see Tori tee it up with her nemesis, social queen bee wannabe Myra Swanson. I LOVE that Tori gets the chance to put Myra in her place! You'll have to read the book to find out how and why, but man, I cheered. Myra is a pill and richly deserved the smackdown.

And once again, we see how Tori has surrounded herself with good people. Mia, Cammie, Tina, and Heidi aren't just employees. They're Tori's Girl Gang. Her friends. They have her back, all the time. Mia in particular seems to have a sixth sense about when Tori is chasing herself in mental circles and can help get her back on track. I want a group of friends like them!

There's a hint of potential romance between Tori and David. Will we see their relationship blossom in future books? I hope so!

The historical information at the end of the book is a delight. I learn so much from Dickason's notes. I thought poker chips were poker chips were poker chips. I had no idea they were a whole area of research! Now I want to learn more about them and more about the history that inspired the Tori Winters series.

Anita Dickason has taken the cozy mystery genre and put her own unique spin on it. Murder's Legacy is a fantastic second book in what I hope is a long-running series. Tori and the people in her life already feel like folks I've known a while, and I'm rather fond of them! Action, suspense, legal maneuvering, the power of friendship, a little romance, a little Texas history, this book has it all.

If you're a mystery lover, start with Deadly Keepsakes and then jump right on in to Murder's Legacy. You'll be glad you did!