The Trouble With Paradise (A Madeline Dawkins Mystery Book 4) by Cynthia Hamilton – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

The Trouble With Paradise by Cynthia Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Trouble with Paradise is a Madeline Dawkins Mystery by Cynthia Hamilton, the fourth in the series. I was drawn to it by the title, promising a gorgeous setting and captivating mystery. The book delivered on both fronts!
Injured in a previous case, our heroine Madeline has just come back to her job as a PI. We get glimpses throughout that she is still healing physically and mentally, but she is determined not to be held back. She’s a likeable character, using her social skills to get (almost) everyone to open up to her whilst constantly processing things that don’t quite fit.
Setting-wise, I particularly liked the ranch and vineyard! It was beautifully described, and such a great location being by the sea. I wanted to be there, tasting the wine and enjoying the view (as long as there weren’t any tragic accidents happening on that particular day…).
Madeline and her partner Mike have two big cases keeping them occupied throughout the book. Both involve men dying in mysterious circumstances, leaving behind widows who aren’t satisfied with the official causes and reasons for their deaths. The pair of PIs try to approach both cases with open, fresh minds to discover the truth and ensure that justice is served.
I really enjoyed this book – it gets five stars from me. I haven’t read any of the earlier books in the series but they’re on my tbr list now. The story made enough sense without them, but I’m sure they would have given me a lot more background on the central characters.
I would recommend this book to fans of a good murder mystery, who will enjoy being transported to a beautiful Californian setting.

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