Faint (The Funeral Planners Suspense Series - Book 3)

Trudy Solomon has a somewhat morbid fascination - with the dead. More at home with the deceased, she takes her career as an embalmer seriously. As the last bit of human contact her charges would encounter, she uses their short amount of time together to make her client's final transition easier. Her calling comes into question when the body of a dead millionaire raises more questions than relief. Her discovery of a mysterious scar on the corpse of the frail man sets loose a series of dangerous effects. When the body is stolen from her embalming room, Trudy sets off on a quest to find who would denigrate the dead. Aided by an unlikely group of amateur detectives, Trudy must come to peace with herself before she can hope to find her client and keep those she loves safe from harm.

Suspenseful from the beginning, the reader experienced the highs and lows one would expect in a mystery. Information placed carefully within the story arc similar to breadcrumbs left behind by Gretel made one's attentiveness a requirement. At times, the sheer amount of breadcrumbs necessary to juggle became overwhelming and a bit confusing. The characters' lives helped to balance the intrigue complete with the unlikely rekindling of a romance, which softened the harsh reality of the criminal's motivation. However, the personal aspects of "Faint's" storyline felt more of an afterthought to keep the scheming interesting. All and all, as the mystery unfolded, the reader continued to root for Trudy's happy-ending.

Amy Willis