The Coral Killer – By Anna Travis

A breakup.

A rejected delivery.

A murder.

Add a deadly coral snake at the crime scene and Ruby’s day couldn’t get much worse.

Used to the calm life near the Sandy Turtle Cove, Ruby had never expected to find a deceased woman, let alone a murdered one while making a paddleboat delivery one day. But she had. A terrifying history with snakes sends Ruby scrambling back home after discovering the murder.

And thus making her the lead suspect in the new deputy’s investigation of the homicide. Being roommates with Ruby’s brothers, the new deputy, Ian, gets invited to Ruby’s family’s house for dinner. Soon, the frustrated deputy starts talking about a redheaded suspect who had fled from a crime scene including a murder and a coral snake.

And guess what? Ruby, who had overheard his comments, was also a redhead.

Infuriated at hearing Ian refer to her as a possible criminal, Ruby decides to hunt down the woman’s killer to prove her innocence. So, with the help of her granny’s mystery novels and her loyal Australian Shepherd, Angel, Ruby begins her investigation.

Before long, Ruby finds herself tangled in the puzzling mess including a greasy waiter, a fishy insurance agent, a suspicious science teacher, and of course, a deputy who’s not completely convinced Ruby is innocent.

This story is an excellent cozy mystery that I think most teenagers and adults will enjoy. So, if you like a mystery with realistic characters, plenty of red herrings, and slithering creatures that make some’s skin crawl, I would definitely check this book out.