Jake Merrill was raised by his grandmother, Ruby, and her hilarious friends. After a suspicious death at the retirement home where Ruby lives, she enlists Jake and Chanel, the beautiful activities director, to help her find the killer.
But secrets Ruby has kept for decades threaten her family and the man she’s always loved but could never have. Chanel’s unstable ex-boyfriend, a presumably dead relative, and vicious criminals add to the confusion. Time is running out as Jake, Chanel, and Ruby desperately search for clues to solve the murders and fight to save those they love. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads
My thoughts about Poison Me ~~
Okay, this book grabbed me from the prologue! Chanel is making a fast getaway; some bad men are chasing her. She flees in her car, barely getting away, and calls 911. Can you get any more intense?
And then in chapter one, there ends up being a dead body. One of the ladies from the 'high-dollar retirement center' advertised as 'gracious living for healthy, active adults' is discovered in her room, very ill and ends up dying, but not before she gives her friends a clue as to who has done this to her. An intense getaway and a dead body and we aren't even to chapter 2 yet. Whew!
The ladies from the retirement center, best friends Ruby, Ellie, and Marissa, are such a hoot. I loved their interactions with each other. The ribbing and kidding that goes on between them is hilarious. I want to be just like them when I get to be their ages! They are not old. Just ask them. They are only in their 70's. I especially loved the personally of Ellie, what a spunky, sassy woman! She is so funny throughout the whole book. I loved these women and would really love to see what other kinds of mischief they could get into.
There are serious parts to this story too, don't get me wrong. People dying. Are they being murdered? Or just dying of old age? And secrets ~ seems like everyone has a secret. And then there's some love thrown in for good measure. So really,
Poison Me has it all.
This was such a great, fun, sometimes serious and intense, story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love Cami's writing and her sense of humor, that definitely comes out in her characters. I am going to be putting her other books on my TBR list, for sure!
Here's an excerpt from Poison Me and it's actually the prologue I was talking about.
Chanel Roberts slammed the back door of her Jetta. In the trunk and back seat, she’d loaded everything she would need for the next few weeks. As part of her severance package, a moving company would ship the contents of her apartment wherever she requested—how kind of her employer, after firing her for something she didn't do.
A hand wrapped around her waist. She screamed.
“Chanel, it’s me.” Ace spun her to face him, his blue eyes reflecting the bright lights of the parking lot.
She wielded her keys like a weapon. “Let go of me.”
He slowly released his hold but didn't back away. Chanel yanked open the driver’s side door.
If I can just get into my car and call the police. She got one foot inside before Ace grabbed her arm.
“You have to listen to me for a second.”
She tried to pull free. “No, I don’t. You set me up. I lost my job, and I lost—.” Chanel choked back the word and the sob. She’d almost admitted she was more upset about losing him than she was about him ruining her life.
“It was Willy’s fault. Please, you have to believe me. I’ll make it up to you. We’ll go away and—”
Suddenly, a large, muscular man ripped Ace away from the car, wrenching Chanel’s arm in the process
“Thought you could run away with your girlfriend and leave me behind?” It was Willy, Ace’s repulsive friend.
Ace smacked his fist into Willy’s face. The blow hardly affected the bigger man. Chanel dove into her car, shoved her keys in the ignition, and yanked on the door. Willy stuck his arm inside the car. The door smacked his bicep and he grunted, but kept reaching towards Chanel.
Panting for breath, she turned the key, jammed the Jetta into reverse, and slammed her foot down on the gas pedal. The car flew backwards, flipping Ace and Willy away from it. Chanel wrenched the steering wheel, closed the door, and pushed the gas pedal to the floor.
The Jetta shot off through the parking lot. Chanel risked a glance in the rearview mirror. Ace and Willy scrambled from the ground. Ace reached out to her with one hand. She turned the corner, dialing 9-1-1 and cursing herself for looking back.
About the author
Cami is a part-time author, part-time exercise consultant, part-time housekeeper, full-time wife, and overtime mother of four adorable boys. Sleep and relaxation are fond memories. She's never been happier.
A portion of the proceeds from Cami's books will be donated to The Child & Family Support Center. For more information on this worthy cause, please go to
www.cachecfsc.org
Connect with Cami
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