Clues To You (Love In The Comptons #3) by Claire Huston

5 Stars Sep 30, 2023

My review

5/5 stars

I didn't realise when I was given a free copy of this book that it was the third in a series. Thankfully, it didn't matter, the book stood alone as a strong read.

Kate was a wonderful female protagonist. I loved her right from the start when she started speaking about her patterned dresses - I related so hard to her choice of outfit and wish I was brave enough to dress like her more often. She was vulnerable, dedicated and low-key fiery - very easy to read.

Max was hard to read at first, because we mostly saw him through Kate's jaded eyes, but as he got more and more time at the forefront, I found myself enjoying his character. He was soft, protective and intelligent, but none of those qualities were overdone or focused on too heavily, making them even more likeable.

There was a wealth of secondary characters to get to know as well, for me anyway as someone new to the series - I got the impression they were included in the way they were because they were focused on more heavily in the previous two books in the series. They neither added anything particular special or detracted from the story at hand, so I feel fairly ambivalent about them all.

My favourite aspect of this story, though I came for the romance, was the murder mystery of it all. I was caught off guard, because that's not normally a genre I go for, but it was brilliantly written. I found myself trying to work out the solution to the competition at the same time as the characters, and going along for all the thrill of the false starts, clue-solving and twists and turns of the ride wholeheartedly. The characters that provided all the backstory for the murder mystery were excellently written, and I would have loved to see more of them out of their characters within the story, as the actors behind the roles.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, and found myself itching to read it quicker to figure out what was going to happen with everyone and how the weekend was going to resolve itself.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book blurb

One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.
They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?