Title: 15 Minutes of Flame
Author: Christin Brecher
Publisher: Kensington
Year: 2020
Genre(s): mystery, modern
Part of a Series: Yes, book #3
Rating: 
Why I Read it: Once Upon a Book Club Halloween box
Summary: After agreeing to help the local Girl Scout troop with a Halloween fundraiser, Stella ends up biting off more than she can chew when she finds a dead body in the house she convinced a friend to let them use for it. The body is determined to be a couple centuries old, reigniting interest in an old Nantucket mystery. It brings some newcomers to Nantucket and when a more modern murder occurs, Stella finds herself trying to figure out who is there for good and who is there for ill. Can she solved two mysteries before it’s too late?
Review: This reminded me of a Hallmark mystery movie and I mean that in a good way. And while it’s book 3 in a series, I didn’t feel I was too lost by not reading the first two books. It was able to stand alone, which can be a plus in a series.
I’m not usually a mystery person in that I don’t actively seek out the genre but enjoy mystery if romance is the prominent genre. In this case there was barely any romance which is why I didn’t include it in my list of genres. But I did enjoy this book.
The story was paced well and did not lag at any point. Everything was used to advance the plot and there were no real side plots to get the plot sidetracked. And there were enough clues pieced together for readers to figure it out but also a few good redirects to make you question if you were on the right track or not. The reveal was ultimately well handled and I enjoyed how the main character handled it.
All the main characters felt fully developed except for Andy and Peter, both who were likely in the other books. So maybe they had more characterizations in those, especially since Peter spends most of the book chasing another story rather than helping Stella. There were chunks I forgot Peter even existed and that he was Stella’s boyfriend, which is why I couldn’t even call this a romance. A boyfriend the main character barely sees does not even warrant the romance tag in my opinion.
(Though I do think Brecher probably has plans to set Stella up with Andy down the road. They just clicked in a way I didn’t see her click with Peter. If I had to guess who was the friend and who was the boyfriend, I would’ve said Peter and Andy rather than the other way around).
I personally don’t think I’ll go back and read the other books but if the club decides to send another Brecher book, I’m not going to complain.
Bottom line: Good mystery but if you’re looking for romance, look elsewhere
Sex: None
Moonlight Musing
What would you do if you found a skeleton in your house?
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