That Last Weekend

Laurel Muir returns to Chateau du Cigne Noir, an atmospheric old B&B to reunite with some old friends she hasn't seen in a decade. The friends hope to reconnect after their last visit ended in tragedy when one of them fell from a balcony and is now wheel-chair bound. When one of them is murdered they all again fall under suspicion by the local police and must figure out who the killer is before they strike again.

This book is almost written like a cozy mystery, except that it's much heavier and darker. The characters are complex and well developed, and I really enjoyed a rather accurate portrayal of the various intricacies in a group of female friends. There was a hint of Agatha Christie in the small cast of characters and the remote “country house” of sorts. What I thought was going to develop into a full-blown romantic story line kept itself cool until the end, which I appreciate. I settled on a killer several times and was proved wrong in the end. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm definitely going to find another one to read soon.