Absinthe Of Malice: A Penny Mackenzie Mystery
By Pat Browning
Kill Press, $15.95
ISBN:978-0-9821443-1-2

Penny Mackenzie, a lifestyle editor for The Pearl Outrider, a friendly weekly newspaper in Central California, never expected to find herself crouched in a cotton field in the middle of the night on a stakeout to capture devil worshippers. The blame for her discomfort lies with fellow reporter Maxie Harper, a knockout investigative journalist following a tip and on the hunt for a decent story. While the women do discover the bones of a long-dead corpse, the publisher would just as soon ignore a story that might upset any of the township. Although Maxie refuses to let the story go, before she can investigate she is poisoned by oysters during a Chamber of Commerce dinner. Determined to find out whether her acerbic friend was the victim of accident or malice, Penny enlists the help of her college sweetheart investigator Watt Collins and together they discover that their cozy small town has managed to cover up its share of dark secrets.

Pat Browning aptly creates the atmosphere of a small town and skillfully develops realistic characters. The relationship between Penny and her mother Tess, now dating the town sheriff, proves to be fascinating and believably complex as Penny has never stop idolizing her late father. The romance between Penny and Watt is also nicely rendered and never seems rushed or forced. Penny herself is a funny, down-to-earth, extremely likeable character who has the reader rooting for her happiness. While the title pretty much answers the question of how Maxie died, the characters and charm of the small-town setting make this a very enjoyable read.

Review by CINDY CHOW

©2009 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.