I remember reading this book before and thinking that it was a real rollercoaster, but I didn't have that same feeling on re-read. It's definitely difficult to put down, though.
Jessica is off to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for a much-needed vacation after a hard winter, fighting with both her book and the flu. She has a standing invitation from friends (and former Cabot Cove-ers) Walter and Laurie Marschalk to visit their Lover's Lagoon Inn, which was built on a highly-prized bit of land next to a perfect lagoon of water.
Jessica arrives and finds that her friends aren't quite as happy and carefree as she remembers them. Walter confides in her that they are having financial issues and are at war with the nearby mega-resort of Diamond Reef. He tells her that they acquired the lagoon and surrounding land in a frankly super-sketchy way with the help of a local politico, and are being investigated for that as well. A couple of days later, Walter is found dead in his precious lagoon, and the hunt is on for his murderer.
As it turns out, Walter wasn't much loved by anybody, including his wife, so there are plenty of people who had a motive to kill him. His murder is similar to one a couple of years old, when the last lone holdout was killed and Walter & co swooped down to grab the land. Jessica pretty much decides that she has to investigate on her own, because she claims friendship with both Marschalks and doesn't have much confidence in the local authorities.
There are plenty of twists and turns to this story, and the closest we'll ever get to an on-page sex scene (even on reread, that scene shocked me, LOL). I didn't really think any of the characters had any redeeming qualities - they were all slimy and gross. Laurie Marschalk was a total bitch and I have no idea why Jessica put up with her. One of the things she realizes along the way is how little she actually knew the Marschalks when they were her neighbors in Cabot Cove.
There are some similarities to the previous novels in terms of plot structure. For instance, Seth rides to the rescue yet again (Mort apparently couldn't take time off), albeit relatively late in the story. I was amused to learn that Mort and Seth are BFFs, too - Mort still reads like the poor man's version of Amos Tupper. We have more glimpses of Cabot Cove, and judging by the sample in the back, it looks like the next book will be the first totally set in our favorite Maine coast village. I'm looking forward to that!