Mine to Keep (Wendy Hudson)

[shewhostaples]

This is Wendy Hudson's second book; like the first one, Four Steps, it's a combination of meet cute and murder that works considerably better than that description makes it sound. Maths teacher Erin Carter is touring the Scottish borders looking for her father, who she hasn't seen since she left with her mother at the age of five or six. Abby is the chef at the hotel where she's staying. Abby volunteers her local knowledge to help Erin with her quest of discovery; they end up sharing rather more.

I enjoyed the developing relationship between the two leads, and the details of hotel life, more than the storyline involving Erin's father, which felt a little far-fetched. But overall this was a quick, absorbing, read.

Content note: the book opens with a description of domestic violence and murder.