Title: Love is Murder
Author: Allison Brennan
Series: #0.5 in the Lucy Kincaid series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 24, 2011)
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2
Synopsis: I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU . . . DEAD
After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Lucy Kincaid needs a different kind of break. So she heads west to join her brother, an ex-cop, for a long weekend of skiing in the mountains. At a picturesque lodge tucked high in the Sierra Nevada, Lucy finds just what she’s looking for: a peaceful retreat undisturbed by Internet, television, and cell phone distractions. She also finds an unexpected group of newlyweds seeking their own idyllic getaway.
But finding one of her fellow guests dead wasn’t in the brochure. And neither was the overnight snowstorm that leaves the lodge cut off from the outside world. When Lucy’s brother suspects the honeymooner’s death was foul play, he’s mysteriously stricken ill. Now, to keep him and herself alive, it’s up to aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to figure out which of the lovebirds trapped in the lodge is really a bird of prey.
My Thoughts: This was a nice introduction to the Lucy Kincaid series but it isn't necessary in the grand scheme of things to read it prior to starting the series.
The Good, The Bad, and Whatever Else I want to Mention: Since this was the first of her series, Lucy is young and not as established as she was in the Max Revere book featuring her and Max. It really was nice to see Lucy as a young woman. Thankfully the issues I had, not necessarily with her but with the way her background was rehashed, in Shattered, were mostly absent from this book. It's been a few months since I read this book because I'm a little behind in my reviews but I recall a vague mention of her past but that was it which I'm grateful for because the constant rehashing that was done in Shattered diminished my enjoyment of that book.
As I mentioned earlier in the overall grand scheme of the series (which I've not yet read but am fairly confident in drawing my conclusions) this novella is a throwaway. For me, this means you could read it or you could skip it. Nothing really happened that would have a tremendous impact on Lucy's character in future books. It was a nice little mystery set in a snowed in ski lodge setting and Lucy and her brother were interesting characters but had I not read this book I would have been A-OK to just jump into book 1 of the Lucy Kincaid series. Also as a side note this was labeled Romantic Suspense but there is no romance in it at all. Lucy is fresh out of a breakup and there is no love interest in the works either.
In a Nutshell: If you have time and enjoy the Lucy Kincaid series I'd recommend you spend an hour or so reading this short novella. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller in the vein of Karin Slaughter or Lisa Gardner I'd skip this one.
