Book Review: Autopsy of a Fairytale by Nicole Scarano
Genre(s): Crime Thriller / Urban Fantasy
Book Synopsis:
After an attack on the job, Homicide Detective Isobel ‘Bel’ Emerson takes her dog and moves to the small town of Bajka in search of a less stressful life and career, but the quaint town’s peace is disturbed when a local furniture designer is murdered, his body posed to look like a human chandelier. Thrust back into the fray, Bel must confront her personal demons as she investigates an impossible case, and as bodies turned into household objects start to pile up, all clues point to the reclusive millionaire who just bought the abandoned mansion at the edge of town.
Eamon Stone is as dangerous as he is handsome, and Bel can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to his presence in Bajka than meets the eye. Something about him is familiar, and while she knows he’s a threat, she can’t fight his pull. Like a moth to the flame, she’s drawn to the man stalking her, to the only murder suspect they have, and Bel fears he craves her blood as much as she craves his presence. She fears he is the evil hunting this town… the beast hunting her.
Review:
I really liked the concept of this book. There are a number of characters loosely based on the Beauty and the Beast story. I thought it was clever on the author’s part to “pose” some of the killer’s victims as those iconic characters, providing a macabre element and an interesting backdrop for what is ultimately a crime thriller.
There’s plenty of mystery in this story, some intrigue, and a fair bit of action. And like any good mystery, there are a few twists in the plot. I enjoyed it.
I also classified this as urban fantasy, because there is some mention of magic in the later chapters of the book. It’s not a huge part of the story, but it did leave me wondering what exactly the beast is. He’s not human, but that’s about all that is defined.
While the crime itself was solved, I got the sense that the author has more plans for this world and the characters in it, because there were a few unanswered questions on that front. As a standalone story, it works well, but I’m hoping there will be more of Bel Emerson in the future.
Author’s Twitter Page: @NicoleRScarano
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