Book Review: SAVANNAH SLEUTH Vigilantes for Justice Book 1 by Alan Chaput

Synopsis (from Amazon)

Avenging on the mind. Family tragedy on the side. Comeuppance served Southern-fried. 

Savannah, Georgia. Patricia Falcon's house parties and bustling galas haven't stopped her from having the worst week. With her only child leaving town, it was already a bad time for the undercover defender of abused women to get a gun pulled on her by somebody's drunk husband. But her anxiety turns to heartbreak when she's hit with news of her mother's death. 

Shocked to discover her well-to-do mom's bank account emptied, Patricia and her gang of pistol-toting girl-guardians suspect foul play. But their attempt to track down the culprit upends when one of her friends is put into a coma, a priest arrives to conduct his own papal investigation, and the rabbit hole goes deeper than she ever could've imagined. 

Can Patricia and the posse unearth a string of secrets and put her dearly departed mother to rest? Savannah Sleuth is the action-packed first book in the Vigilantes For Justice cozy mystery series. 

Review 

The Falcon family and the Cotton Coalition maintain the order and life in Savannah, Georgia. At least in this story. Although only a Falcon by marriage, Patricia's mother was responsible for establishing services for battered women and Patricia actively worked to bring women to safety. She carries a gun and has been trained to shoot. She and three girl friends are very close, and she's been helping Judy get the goods on her husband. 

When her mother drops dead and Patricia discovers all her assets have disappeared, she calls on her friends to help. In the meantime, the Coalition and Patricia's husband, Trey, do their own version of interrogation to see what they can find out. Add in a priest and a pope who have a vested interest in the murder and there is a lot going on. 

The pace is steady and Chaput weaves the story with twists and turns, the old south, and the importance of family, duty, and one's place in society. Although not all is believable, it is well crafted with many a red herring. It requires stretching of one's imagination, is creative, and it kept my interest. It is the first in the Vigilantes for Justice series.  

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.