Vacations Can Be Murder

Diega DelValle Mystery #3

by Jane DiLucchio

When Diega DelValle and three of her friends go on an impromptu vacation in Talkeetna, Alaska, Diega envisions an enjoyable summer break from teaching along with time to heal from a break-up.

However, even before the friends arrive, this small town on the edge of Denali National Park becomes a less than idyllic vacation spot. Gail, a Talkeetna native, dies on the mountain. Melissa, Gail's cousin and a former student of Diega's, arrives in Talkeetna and raises doubts about the death being accidental.

Due to Melissa's pleas for help, Diega and her friends are thrust into an investigation of a small town and its inhabitants-an unsavory pastime that turns deadly.

170 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2016

About the author

Jane DiLucchio is the author of the Diega DelValle Mystery and Kate Matthews Mystery series. She spent many years as a teacher, at both the elementary school and community college levels, a massage therapist, and an amateur farmer before giving in to the little voices that kept sounding off in her head. Since there’s a thin line between a psychotic and a writer (psychotics try to convince everyone that the voices they hear are real; writers write it down and tell everyone its fiction), Jane finally decided to give in to the voices rather than undergo intensive psychotherapy.

Jane and her partner, Sue, are raising their two cats (Murphy and Shania) in a loving home in Southern California.

www.facebook.com/jane.dilucchio.myste...

Reviews

[Kitty McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Diega Delvalle series by Jane DiLucchio and is another winner. I have really enjoyed reading the series and seeing the characters develop more fully. This time Diega and her group of friends, Tully, Felicia and Jenny, are off on vacation to Alaska and hope to see the elusive Mount McKinley. They bump into a former student of Diega’s, who is there to organise her cousin’s funeral. She believes her cousin was murdered and when she too is found dead the ladies feel compelled to investigate. This was a really interesting story, weaving many threads that had me guessing right to the end. I could never decide who to trust and there seemed to be a lot of motives and people with secrets they didn’t want getting out. Diega and her friends had to deal with apparent police incompetence and homophobic attitudes as well as trying to understand small town Alaska. The women were more of a team in this book and I think that was the right way to go. Diega is a good character but she needs her pals around her to make things work. I really liked Tully as she seems to have the enthusiasm and get-go attitude that Diega needs to spur her into action. I enjoyed the fact that the story was set in Alaska and the author really excelled in describing the area and the various types of people living there. The state was a character in itself. Another really enjoyable book from Jane DiLucchio and I hope she decides to continue with this series.
I was given this ARC free by Inked Rainbow Reads in return for an honest review.

[Christine Close · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this book by Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.

This was a scintillating murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. Once again the four friends were reunited and thus the adventure began.

I found this novel a little more sombre than previous ones in the series but this might be the author reflecting the situation and character of Diega.

The opening chapter immediately gets the reader involved in the action and clearly indicates the antagonist who we will have to unmask and discover. I really enjoyed the way the reader is rapidly drawn into the plot and your interest instantly captivated.

The absorbing and well described landscape also added depth to this novel. Along the way clues were discovered, problems posed and solved and characters introduced. All this as well as personal additions to the magnificent fours lives and loves.

The ending exploded and all the questions answered, pulling all the previously unexplained threads together in a very satisfying and explanatory way.

I really appreciated this well written novel and relished the convoluting plot, I did feel it lacked some of the humour of previous books in the series.

[Penny Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vacations Can Be Murder is book three in the Diega DelValle mystery series. I had the pleasure of reading book two and loved it. I loved this one even more. The author does a fantastic job of her mysteries with many pieces to solve. I enjoyed how the characters have developed throughout these books. This is not an easy one to solve! I love the bread crumbs to try and solve it. You never know who to trust.
In this book the friends are on vacation together in Alaska. Diega and her friends run into someone they haven't seen in quite some time. And just so happens mysterious deaths have occurred. Coincidence??? They end up in the middle of another investigation even though they had sworn off anymore. See how long that lasted. LOL Everything changes when the person who is trying to prove murder is murdered themselves. YIKES! All bets are off. Everyone pitches in to try and overcome the adversity of the incompetent police force as well as the small town thinking about homophobia. The women are a force to be reckoned with especially when they work together as a team.
One last thing, the author did an amazing job of describing the scenic Wilderness and wildlife of Alaska as well as the people.

[Melanie's · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This Book Was Given To Me In Exchange For An Honest Review*

This is the second book I have read by Jane DiLucchio (The other one was a Kate Matthew's Mystery) and one things they both have in common is that there is a good mystery here, the clues are there if you can find them, and they lead you to the answer. That for me is always a must in any mystery story.

This is book 3 in the Diega DelValle series and it does read as a stand alone novel but that being said I do feel (as I often to with stand alones within a series) that I may have got a little more out of it had I known the characters involved already. I felt at times that I was maybe missing some of the subtle things going on that I may have enjoyed more had I read the previous installments, but that is just the way I generally read.

Overall this gets 4 stars form me and a recommendation for mystery lovers to grab themselves a copy and see if you can manage to figure out who did it.

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[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Inked Rainbow Reads in return for an honest review.
This is the third in the series of Diega DelValle Mysteries, and it's just as enjoyable as the first two. This go 'round finds Diega and her friends in Alaska for a vacation, where they run into an old acquaintance and mysterious deaths. Having learned their lessons from their previous experiences with murder investigations, the four friends initially try to stay far, far away from looking into anything to do with the first death that's brought to their attention. However, when the person fighting to prove that death was anything but accidental ends up dead and the investigation starts to point to Diega, the four friends gear up into investigational mode. There seemed to be a whole lot less bumbling around by the four this time, which means at least they're getting better at it. Unfortunately for me, I was only partially right about whodunnit this time, bringing my sleuthing score to 1 for 3. It was a fun ride, though, and I'm definitely looking forward to my next DiLucchio read.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

This is the third book in the series but the first one I’ve read and it definitely stands on its own.

It is obvious that Diega DelValle tends to attract trouble. When she and her three girlfriends go to Alaska for a much needed vacation, rest and relaxation is the last thing they get.

I like Jane DiLucchio’s writing style, although I did skip over a few passages when they were rehashing what they had learned when trying to figure out what had happened.

Murder mysteries have always been on of my favorite genres and Vacations Can be Murder is a good one. It has some twists and amateur sleuths who know just enough to not get into too much trouble. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes mysteries and I hope I get a chance to read the first two books in the series.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Vacations Can Be Murder by Jane DiLucchio
Well written. Mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. Would recommend.