A Toast to Murder
by Allyson K Abbott
Kensington Books
Kensington

Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 25 Jul 2017  

Review

The chilling scavenger hunt where Mack’s ability to decipher clues determines whether or not one of her friends or even she herself will die finally comes to a head in A Toast to Murder.  Don't be afraid to pick this novel up if you haven't read Allyson K Abbot’s previous novels.  She does an exemplary job of explaining previous events without it being boring or repetitive to readers who have read the previous novels.  Mack has synesthesia.  She experiences sensory information in multiple modalities, making her privy to information others are not, including giving her an uncanny sense when others are lying.  A Toast to Murder is a game changer.  While Mack believes she knows the identity of the letter writer, she has little concrete evidence.  She is also uncertain of who the writer’s accomplice is, although it is clear it is a member of the Capone club that has betrayed them.  As the police have put forth that Mack and her crew have been working as consultants all along,  Mack and her friends know that time is of the essence.  If Mack can’t trap the killers before midnight strikes on New Year’s Eve, she may not survive the festivities.

A Toast to Murder is a fantastic conclusion to the story arc begun in Murder on the Rocks.  Mack is an unusual and unforgettable lead.  Abbot skillfully details how Mack experiences information making it possible for readers to not only empathize but to understand the challenges that face her as well as the nature of her gift.  The Capone Club has successfully solved cold cases and redeemed a man unjustly imprisoned.  I can’t wait to see what is in store now that a serial killer isn’t pursuing Mack and now that she and the Capone club are openly to liaison with police.

5 / 5

I received a copy of A Toast to Murder from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Description
 

Mack Dalton has named plenty of murderers since she and her barstool detectives began cracking cold cases. But as a new year looms, time is ticking on the hunt for her craftiest villain yet . . .

As Milwaukee counts down to New Year’s Eve, bar owner Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton has but one resolution—unmask the dangerous mastermind who has been taunting her and killed bouncer Gary Gunderson. Mack and her fellow barflies have fleshed out a suspect and arranged an invite-only party to put a cork in the murderer’s game for good. But when the clock strikes midnight and their suspect is found cold and stiff on the basement stairs, it seems the celebration may have come too soon. Now Mack must rely on her special talents to find the real criminal among the crowd of revelers—or someone won’t survive until last call . . .

“The first book in the Mack’s Bar Mystery series is a hit!” —RT Book Reviews on Murder on the Rocks

“Murder with a Twist has a lot of sleuthing pleasure packed into its pages.” —Fresh Fiction