A Fatal Folly by Jeannette de Beauvoir

I truly enjoyed reading "A Killer Carnival", and was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of "A Fatal Folly", the next book in the series. And I have it say that it was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be. I connected with main character Sydney immediately. She is the perfect amateur sleuth to headline this series, with her winning personality and entertaining sense of humor! The book is set in Provincetown, a real place that the author obviously knows well. Her love of the area shines through during the entire book, and her descriptions of the town and its people/events made me want to visit. Who wouldn't love a town so devoted to embracing diversity of all kinds? This cozy gets bonus points for uniqueness in four key areas: 1. The murder doesn't happen right at the beginning. Instead, Sydney is fascinated by the possibility of the raising of a nearby sunken pirate ship, as well as an unsolved murder that took place years ago, before she even moved to town. 2. There is character diversity! Unlike so many cozies, not everyone is young, beautiful, thin, white, and straight. I very much enjoyed reading about different types of people within the cozy mystery sub-genre. 3. This is NOT a romance! So many cozies focus as much (if not more) on the romantic life of the heroine as on the actual mystery. In this book, Sydney's boyfriend is on the opposite coast somewhere, enmeshed in an undercover assignment. He is completely incommunicado, leaving Sydney (and the reader) worried about him, but unable to even reach him by phone. 4. Pirate treasure and shipwrecks! I think this is a first in the cozy genre; I know it was for me. The reader, along with Sydney, learns a few things about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of locating and salvaging shipwrecks. I found it fascinating and, like Sydney, hope to learn more about "boats" as the series goes on. All in all, WELL DONE once again, Ms. de Beauvoir! Your book provides intriguing mystery, fabulous and unique characters, and some interesting information (about Provincetown and salvage). Five out of five amazingly thin slices of provolone!