Murder Pans Out

Since I was drawn to Toll's 1st book due to my own trip to Napa area, the wine Mecca of the Left Coast, finding it (the book) enjoyable but not as humorous as I thought it could have been. But did find the plot intriguing. I pressed on with her second "Murder Pans Out" and was so glad I did! Her character development was much improved and I found the humor was real and charming. After all, a group of school teachers traveling together, a costume dinner party, a stressed antique dealer who is literally "under the gun" are surly the makings for some well deserved chuckles. And they were there. In addition, the historical information was stimulating.I will anxiously await her third installment and recommend that you don't miss making your reservations for the tour!

Lynne is leading a group of teachers to research the gold country of California. Figuring she knows most of them from the years her kids spent in the Floritas school system, Lynne expects a fun, relaxing tour. But that's before the trouble starts. The fan belt dies on her van. Most of the group gets food poisoning the first night. And they return from their first day of activity to find their cabins have been searched and the owner is unconscious at the bottom of a ravine. What in the world is going on?This series is part travel log and part mystery. The author uses multiple view points to present the story, this time including the villain. We, the reader, know what is happening (most of the time), but it actually adds to the story. While I had a little trouble keeping all the teachers straight at first, the characters are strong enough that I soon had everyone figured out. And I got so into the story, I read most of it in one day.This isn't your traditional murder mystery series, but I really enjoy it for a change of pace.

Murder Pans Out is *delightful*! Toll fleshes out her characters in such a way that you feel like you are with them, and have known them for years. The multiple aspects of the intertwining stories and history all weave together for a great read.

Murder Pans Out is a terrific book to which I give high marks for its character development and sense of place. I've never been to the Gold Country where Lynne Montgomery leads a tour but now I feel as if I have. Add to that murder and a shade of Carl Hiassen where everybody but the protagonist knows some vital information, and you have a book that is a great reading experience.