Murder at Pride Lodge (Kyle Callahan Mystery #1) by Mark McNease

Release Date: September 21, 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Series: Kyle Callahan Mystery #1

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Nestled in the outskirts of New Hope, Pride Lodge has been home to many in the LGBT community who want to get away for a weekend. It's been a place for rest and relaxation for decades until the annual Halloween weekend festivities are overshadowed by the death of the handyman, Teddy.

As patrons of the Lodge try to make the best of their weekend, Kyle Callahan tries to figure out what was causing his friend, Teddy, so much anxiety. He follows the leads one by one, leading him and those he loves into danger before the weekend is over. What other dangers linger behind closed doors? Will the killer be unmasked before the weekend is ruined? Can Kyle make sense of it all before he loses everything - including his life?

Review:
Winning this book from a giveaway at Goodreads, I was really looking forward to a good murder mystery. The book was quick to deliver what I was looking for. An idyllic setting, suspense, intrigue and people pretending to be someone they're not - it all adds up to a roller coaster ride for the reader. The book does involve characters within the LGBT community. In all honesty, I don't believe it makes an impact on the story itself.

The start of the book is a little slow as there is a lot of ground to cover to set up the history of the Lodge and some of the occupants, but author's humor does break up some of the long paragraphs. Once the setting is complete, the pacing of the story begins to pick up and stays moving at a steady rate until the very end. I have to say that the author gave us just enough clues to keep me wondering, even as I began piecing things together.

Each of the characters brought their own uniqueness to the story. Glimpses into their lives were intermingled with reactions to the horrors of the Halloween weekend at the Lodge. It helped to understand the reasons why the characters did or said certain things. One of my favorite scenes was the pumpkin carving night, when the majority of the Lodge patrons were able to interact with one another and take be carefree for a few moments. Throughout the story, there was a sense of family and unity underneath everything else. It helped to make the characters come alive, in my opinion.

Overall, I thought the story to be engaging and filled with a good amount of ups and downs as the characters grew close to finding the source of all their dark times at the Lodge. I really felt bad for some of the characters as their worlds crumbled. This book is the start of a series involving Kyle Callahan and others that were met during the course of the story. Personally, I can't wait to see what they get into next. If you're looking for a mystery with a bit of flair, I recommend picking this book up!

Murder at Pride Lodge (Kyle Callahan Mystery #1) by Mark McNease is currently available in paperback and Kindle forms at various online retailers including Barnes and Noble, Amazon and others. To buy a copy from Amazon.com, please click the link below.
Murder at Pride Lodge (Kyle Callahan Mystery #1) by Mark McNease