Wrong.
In the chaos of the Sheriff’s Office open house, the mother disappears. Then the father bolts, leaving Hayley with a terrified girl and the realization that something has gone terribly wrong. Hayley and Deputy Rogers head north up the Keys to search for answers.
When a body turns up, Hayley realizes this isn’t just a missing-persons case—it’s a race against time. With the little girl’s safety at risk, Hayley must trust her instincts—and her heart—to uncover the truth. (Summary via Goodreads)
A Delicious Deception is the sixteenth book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series by Lucy Burdette and this series has a special place in my heart. I'll be honest and tell you that I have not read all of the books in the series, I started reading them with the eighth book, Death on the Menu but I was instantly hooked. While visiting my mom in Florida I was reading one of the books and my mom showed an interest, so I left it for her to read. She has been gone for four and a half years so when I read one of these books, I feel like she is looking over my shoulder.
Anyway..... let's get to this newest book. In A Delicious Deception there are a lot of changes occurring. Main character Hayley and her husband, Nathan, are expecting their first baby so they have moved out of their houseboat and into a house with a guest cottage in the back. Their neighbor and good friend, Miss Gloria and her best friend Annie, who both lived in houseboats are now living in the guest cottage.
Hayley should be concentrating on getting ready for the baby but when Deputy Darcy from the Sheriff's Office comes calling for help, she cannot say no. After all, this should be an easy assist. She is going to be picking up a woman, Reba, and taking her to a safe location to do a custody exchange with the husband. Reba and her husband, Mack, do not get along and instead of fight in front of their daughter, Tamara, they have agreed to allow a third party to be there for the exchange,
Unfortunately, before the exchange Reba goes to the bathroom and never returns. Then after looking for her and not finding her, Hayley goes to meet Mack, and he seems very nervous and leaves abruptly ..... with Hayley standing there with Tamara.
Deputy Darcy gets in trouble with her bosses and taken off the case, so Hayley takes Tamara to a friend of hers for a brief playdate, but Tamara is taken by someone pretending to be with child services.
Meanwhile Nathan gets called away when his father is taken to the hospital and having emergency surgery.
So, Hayley, who is extremely pregnant, is on the case mainly alone. Yes, she has Miss Gloria and Annie helping her, but she needs Nathan's levelheadedness because we know she is stubborn and doesn't know when to quit.
A Delicious Deception, with all its new changes, is a great read. No matter what book in this series you pick up, you will be hooked immediately !!!
