Polly Dent Loses Grip

Title: POLLY DENT LOSES GRIP
Author: S. Dionne Moore
Publisher: Heartsong Presents Mysteries
2009
ISBN: 978-1-60260-261-8
Genre: Inspirational/cozy mystery

When helping her mother-in-law, Matilda, move into an assisted living apartment, LaTisha gets to meet some of the residents. One of them, Polly Dent, seems especially concerned about Matilda moving into the apartment, as she claims that the director promised that apartment to her.

When LaTisha’s husband, Hardy, goes off with the director and Ms. Polly Dent to discuss the problem and hopefully, resolve it, LaTisha helps her mother-in-law get settled into the apartment. She is stunned when Hardy comes rushing into the apartment, all upset because Polly Dent appears to have had an accident in the exercise room and is dead.

Concerned, LaTisha and Hardy go down to discuss this accident with the director. But he seems rather uncaring about the whole event, even hesitating to call the police because it would alarm the residents when it was an obvious accident.

POLLY DENT LOSES GRIP is the first mystery I’ve ready by Ms. Moore and the second book in her A LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series. Her voice is different that most of the other mysteries I’ve read, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed getting to know LaTisha, though she was a different sort of heroine than I’ve encountered in my reading to date as well.

I did figure out who-dun-it fairly early on, as the murderer made several mistakes which gave it away. However, I still enjoyed reading the story, and even knowing who did it didn’t take away from it. $6.95. 253 pages.