Sunday Salon: Angel Lost by F. M. Meredith

Living in the South, Sundays bring to mind a time when family and friends gather on the front porch or around the kitchen table. It was a time to relax and catch up with what each other had been doing the past week.

Sunday Salon does that for bloggers. It’s a time to get comfortable, enjoy a good cup of coffee (or tea) and talk about the interesting books we’ve read during the past week.

The book I want to tell you about today fits perfectly with this theme. This is a cozy mystery, but tugs at the heart strings of family dedication and friendship.

ANGEL LOST by F.M. Meredith

This is the seventh installment in the Rocky Bluff P.D. Crimes Series so reading ANGEL LOST can be like catching up with old friends. If you haven’t read the previous books, you can still enjoy the story and get to know the crowd without feeling like you’re missing something.

Officer Stacey Wilbur is head (and only officer) of the vice squad at the Rocky Bluff P.D. It’s her job to catch the flasher who is stalking victims on the beach. With the help of newly transferred Officer Vaughn Aragon, she plans to set a trap for the flasher using herself as bait.

Stacey’s superior, Det. Doug Milligan isn’t happy with the sting operation, but knows it’s Stacey’s job. Doug had rather Stacey concentrate on her upcoming wedding to him and for them to find some alone time before the event.

Other officers of the department have their share of problems and stress to deal with outside of work:
* Sgt. Abel Navarro’s wife, Maria, and his mother have never gotten along. Now Maria’s trying to convince him his mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Could she be right or just trying to get back at his mother?
* Officer Felix Zachary is awaiting the birth of his first child and is troubled by the new transfer. Could it be problems from Felix’s past that makes him feel uneasy around Vaughn?
* Officer Gordon Butler is having his usual problems. Will he move this things out of Doug’s house before the wedding or will he just continue running into trouble?
* Vaughn Aragon, recently transferred from the LAPD, has demons he can’t shake. Leaving the big city for a job in a small town hasn’t helped. In fact, without help soon Vaughn’s demons may lead him down a path of no return. Could he take another office with him?

Amid all the family drama, officers are busy having to work robberies of well-to-do homes, and the miraculous appearance of an angel in a furniture story window has created a unique problem. Crowd control becomes an issue with the image draws lookers from near and far.

Just when things finally seem to be falling into place for Stacey and Doug’s wedding, the unthinkable happens. Without a guardian angel, Stacey may become a missing bride.

ANGEL LOST is more than your typical mystery - it’s filled with suspense with a dash of humor, at look at family devotion, and the possibility of miracles. Author F. M. Meredith weaves a tale of suspense and shows how a close-knit group of officers deal with their personal problems while catching the bad guys.

Author F.M. Meredith’s website is http://fictionforyou.com/ She also blogs at Marilyn’s Musings.

Angel Lost by F. M. Meredith, A Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime Series, Oak Tree Press, @2011, ISBN: 978-1-61009-005-6, Paperback, 198 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

What have you read this past week and what are you reading now?