As a book reviewer, I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher or author to facilitate this review. I received no other compensation, and all opinions are always 100% my own.
Some things are unforgivable, and time doesn’t heal all wounds.
When “world’s best detective” Aubrey Merritt and her assistant, the not as clever but very relatable Olivia Blunt, agree to attend the 40 year reunion of the Sigma Delta Tau chapter at Sarah Lawrence, Olivia is surprised to see her boss do something so ordinarily human. The reason is soon clear: the host of the reunion, retired Brigadier General Joan Battersea , has received a death threat, and her husband is worried. So Merritt and Blunt (who’s in charge of baggage) fly to a dusty ranch in New Mexico, where Blunt has to confront her phobias of snakes and scorpions.
The women at the reunion have achieved varying levels of success. One in particular, Eve Exeter, is co owner with her husband of a very successful supplement built upon a breakthrough scientific discovery she supposedly made in college. Another attendee, Kathy Lafferty, accused Eve of stealing and plagiarizing her own discovery. Judgement ruled in Eve’s favor and Kathy was expelled in disgrace and spent her career as a middle school science teacher. The grudge still rankles. So when one of the sorority sisters is found dead, Merritt and Blunt have their work cut out for them. They have 3 days to solve the crime, or the suspects will scatter to their home states. But the nature of the crime itself is unclear–was the victim a case of mistaken identity or killed for who she was herself? Do scorpions in the bed count as an inconvenience or another attempted kill? And is the killer one of the sisters, one of the plus-ones (assorted husbands and sons), or a ranch worker with a grudge of his or her own?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Forty-Year Grudge. Characters were fleshed out enough to provide clear personalities and believable motives, and the taut relationship between Aubrey Merritt (who isn’t a prey to self doubt) and Olivia Blunt (who is, and who’s navigating future plans and a new marriage to boot), is delightful. This is a great summer read for someone looking for engaging settings and a plot involved enough to keep one’s attention, while at the same time staying in the realm of the realistic. Recommended!
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