Final Settlement (Darby Farr Series #4)

by Vicki Doudera

Overview

The Dead of Winter…When Murder Returns to Maine

Realtor and amateur sleuth Darby Farr is back in her hometown for the highly anticipated wedding of her fellow real estate associate, Tina Ames. But the festive mood on the snow-swept island of Hurricane Harbor is darkened with tragic news. Lorraine Delvecchio—the police chief's assistant—is found dead, tangled in a lobster trap near the abandoned lighthouse on the Manatuck Breakwater.

Working double duty as Chief Dupont's realtor and PI, Darby uncovers evidence that the death was more than just a slip on the ice. Lorraine's history with money is far from innocent, and Darby's suspect list keeps getting longer. With a prominent islander's dramatic ex-wife back in town and Tina's plans to sell a reclusive artist's waterfront home, it's up to Darby alone to find the murderer before she becomes the next victim.

Praise:

Named a Best Cozy of 2013 by Suspense Magazine

"Cozy atmosphere, suspenseful story."—Booklist

"Credible characters and evocative descriptions of smalltown Maine in winter complement the fast-paced plot."—Publishers Weekly

"A twisty fourth case that strikes close to the bone for a complex, likeable sleuth."—Kirkus Reviews

"Murder, mayhem, and the deadliest of hidden motives. A great read!"—Sarah Graves, author of The Home Repair is Homicide Mysteries

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738734286
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	04/08/2013
Series:	Darby Farr Series , #4
Pages:	325
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Vicki Doudera's debut mystery A House to Die For, was selected to the Best of 2010 list in Suspense Magazine. She is the author three nonfiction books on real estate and the Darby Farr Mystery Series, starring a crime-solving real estate agent. Doudera's articles have appeared in Parenting, People, Reader’s Digest, Yankee and Down East magazines.

Doudera has been profiled on WCSH-TV’s “207,” and her writing has been favorably reviewed in prominent mystery and book industry magazines, as well as in the Bangor Daily News, Times Record, Kennebec Journal, Lincoln County News and Midcoast Beacon. She belongs to Mystery Writers of America (MWA), is on the board of Sisters in Crime, New England, and blogs regularly for Maine Crime Writers (mainecrimewriters.com).

Doudera lives with her family in Camden, Maine, where she enjoys spending time with her friends, kids and funny pets; hiking, cycling and knitting; and living in a beautiful, old house. Like her protagonist, Darby Farr, Doudera also sells real estate with a busy coastal firm. She is president of her local Habitat for Humanity chapter and is a member of the National Association of Realtors.
 

Read an Excerpt

Please browse inside this title with the preview below.

Editorial Reviews

In Doudera’s absorbing fourth Darby Farr mystery (after 2012’s Deadly Offer), realtor Darby returns to her island hometown of Hurricane Harbor, Maine, for the winter wedding of her friend and fellow realtor, Tina Ames. The joyful visit is marred by the discovery of the body of the police chief’s assistant, Lorraine Delvecchio, in the frigid waters off the island’s lighthouse. Lorraine may have drowned after slipping on the icy rocks and falling into the sea, but Darby doubts she died by accident. After all, Lorraine was used to taking the same walk every day past the lighthouse, no matter what the season or the weather. With the police chief’s support, Darby once again turns sleuth. Credible characters and evocative descriptions of smalltown Maine in winter complement the fast-paced plot. Agent: Tris Coburn, Tristram C. Coburn Literary Management. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Named a Best Cozy of 2013 by Suspense Magazine

"Cozy atmosphere, suspenseful story."—Booklist

"Credible characters and evocative descriptions of smalltown Maine in winter complement the fast-paced plot."—Publishers Weekly

"A twisty fourth case that strikes close to the bone for a complex, likeable sleuth."—Kirkus Reviews

"Murder, mayhem, and the deadliest of hidden motives. A great read!"—Sarah Graves, author of The Home Repair is Homicide Mysteries

From the Publisher

In her fourth outing (after Deadly Offer), realtor Darby returns to Maine for a colleague's wedding. But a death near the local lighthouse mars the festive mood.

Library Journal

A winter wedding in Maine brings both joy and tragedy. Realtor Darby Farr (Deadly Offer, 2012, etc.) has returned to the island of Hurricane Harbor with mixed feelings. Since running away from her difficult childhood there years ago, she's come back only once before returning this time to serve as a bridesmaid for her friend Tina Ames. Darby arrives just in time for Police Chief Charles Dupont, an old family friend, to ask for help. Lorraine Delvecchio, a former employee of the department, is dead. The neighboring police have written off her demise as an accidental fall from a sea wall into the frigid water. But Charles thinks otherwise, and no wonder: Lorraine was evidently a blackmailer who preferred to identify her marks only by initials. Meanwhile, Darby discovers a diary in a box hidden in the attic of her house, which once belonged to her Japanese mother. The diary, written in Japanese, may exonerate her grandfather of World War II atrocities. Darby shows it to a Japanese chemist who claims to just be in the neighborhood. When her boyfriend, British journalist Miles Porter, arrives, his observation that several pages have been cut from the diary prompts Darby to call the FBI. She's just starting to enjoy her old home when Charles is shot dead. Even though her investigation puts her own life in danger, she continues to hunt for the mysterious killer and search for more information about her family. A twisty fourth case that strikes close to the bone for a complex, likable sleuth.

Kirkus Reviews