“Llama See That Evidence” by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love was better than I expected. It is the second in the Friendship Harbor series of cozy mysteries.
Sophie LaFleur grew up in California and became an actress starring in the series “Murder She Texted.” About the time the series was canceled, Sophie learned that she had inherited her grandmother’s estate in Friendship Harbor, Maine. The estate includes a large home, a successful restaurant and Grammy’s beloved pet llama, Jack.
Sophie has asked but can’t get her mother to explain why she and her aunt were estranged from their parents and Friendship Harbor. Sophie moves to Maine planning to run Grammy Sunny’s pub, Steamy’s. Dean Jordan lives in the guesthouse and has managed the pub for several years. Sophie is a bit disappointed that Dean keeps her at arm’s length, so she concentrates on learning more about her grandparents.
The “hippie” couple never married. Sunny LaFleur ran the pub while Neil Marshall did hiking tours into the nearby mountains, but he died in a fall long ago.
Sophie wants to know more but is interrupted when Dean calls. He found the body of a young woman sealed inside a wall. She’s wearing a bracelet with the word Mandy. Sophie calls her mother for the date the guest house was renovated. The library archives don’t mention anything about a missing girl, but it does have stories about the death of her grandfather.
According to the paper, Grampy Neil died after falling from a cliff. This was odd because he was a well-known tour guide and the fall occurred in the middle of the night.
At one point Sunny was rumored to be a suspect. Stories spread that he was having an affair with a teen employee but she ran away and Sunny pushed him off the cliff. But everyone says that Sunny and Neil may not have been married but they were devoted to each other.
It appears that no one knew or cared about the missing woman until Sophie mentions it to waitress Brandi. She exclaims that her aunt Amanda disappeared about that time. Now that they have a name, Sophie returns to the library and finds a few clues to follow.
She tries to speak with one of Mandy’s friends. The woman has dementia, but her comments confirm things Sophie had suspected.
Hoping to boost business, Sophie hires Nathan Morrison to entertain a couple times a week. Dean warns her that Nathan is bad news, but she can’t see a problem. When she goes to meet with Grampy’s former partner, she is locked in a room and the building is set on fire. Sophie manages to escape and call 911, but the man is already dead.
Of course, she finds out whodunit and things should be quiet now, but the book ends with a cliffhanger that leads into Book Three.
AT A GLANCE
Book: Llama See That Evidence (Friendship Harbor Mysteries, Book 2)
Authors: Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love
Publisher: Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love
Year published: 2020
Number of pages: 184
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