Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks

ABOUT THE BOOK

A dead body in the parking lot of her family’s business, a killer on the loose, and a handsome detective asking a lot of questions…

Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.

Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.

Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.

MY REVIEW

Homecoming Chaos is a delightful read that offers a little bit of everything – romance, mystery, and more. 

Dr. Jamie Scott is a strong, smart protagonist with relatable struggles pertaining to her uncertain career after a four-year stint working overseas and a family led by a controlling and manipulative matriarch. Add in a murder mystery at her family’s forensic lab and a potential love interest with the detective investigating the case, Nick Marshall, and you have a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I enjoyed the way the family dynamics were portrayed. Each character had their own unique quirks and flaws, but they all fit together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle. It was fascinating to see how they interacted with each other, and how their relationships evolved over the course of the story.

I did struggle with the third-person format when multiple people were talking or thinking at the same time in one paragraph. Despite that, I was intrigued to the very end.

If you enjoy murder mysteries with compelling characters and a well-crafted plot that picks up the pace and ramps up the danger, then consider picking up this captivating book.

Thank you to Ms. Brooks for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

D.W. Brooks will award a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon/BN GC.

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EXCERPT

Revel in the chaos.
Revel in the chaos.
Revel in the chaos.

Jamie tried to live by this motto for most of her life because her life seemed to invite chaos. She learned to expect—and sometimes encourage—complications. As the plane taxied to a halt, she repeated her motto to herself. This phrase, tattooed on her right hip, particularly applied now.

The international terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport had changed since she was last there. Her brother, Jonathan, would pick her up at the baggage claim—alone, she hoped, and not sporting a clingy girlfriend. Time to re- acclimate and re-establish family bonds. Dealing with an unknown woman in her face when she wanted to spend time quietly with her brother wasn’t at the top of her to-do list.

As she waited in line to get through passport control, she thought about how she got to this point—back in Atlanta after several years abroad. She had spent two of those years working with the non-profit organization Doctors Overseas. Jamie worked in several locations, including the Central African Republic. She had her reasons for joining the charitable organization; not all were altruistic, and she kept those to herself during her entrance interview. The horrors she witnessed overseas helped her put her personal chaos into perspective. She realized her issues were nothing compared to what people endured in other parts of the world. This realization allowed her to embrace her job and enjoy what she was doing, despite the frequent threats of bodily harm. To help maintain her sanity while overseas, she traveled a lot and spent six months in Italy working with a designer friend.

The agent summoning her snapped her out of her reverie. Handing over her passport, she said, “Nothing to declare. Coming back home for my mother’s birthday and Christmas.”

At the check-in counter, the inspector carefully examined her and her passport photo. Jamison understood the scrutiny. At the time of that picture, she had been at the height of her glamor phase with a history of modeling and a resulting, above-average concern about how she looked. In medical school, she often showed up at rounds with perfectly coiffed hair and more than a swipe of mascara and lip gloss. But in Africa, those concerns fell away. Right now,

Jamie was makeup-free, and a baseball cap covered her hair. She was still beautiful, but now it was a girl-next-door beauty. Jamie had high cheekbones, almond-shaped dark brown eyes, a straight nose, a square jawline, and her golden-brown skin was still smooth. She wasn’t stomping down runways anymore, as in her past life, because she had shifted her priorities.

Her mother would hate it.

Welcome to Atlanta,” the inspector said as she stamped her passport. “Have a pleasant stay.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The author is a doctor and editor who lives in Texas with her husband and children. She enjoys trying to stay in shape, sporadically cooking, reading (still), writing, and working on her blog. She is eternally grateful to the woman who donated a kidney to her over 5 years ago and continues to advocate for organ donation as much as she can.

Follow D.W. on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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