Sunny Jim's Stand-Up Paddleboard Rental business is in serious jeopardy of going out of business... and he wants Coronado Investigations to help. Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont agree to take the case, but things quickly turn dangerous when one of Sunny Jim's clients is murdered. With a plethora of potential villains, Helen and Phil will have to work quickly if they want a successful end to their latest case.

BOARD STIFF is the twelfth book in the Dead-End Job series but can easily be read as a standalone. Elaine Viets does a marvelous job at quickly pulling the reader into both the mystery and the relationships. The drama that unfolds between Helen and Phil adds an intriguing and entirely unexpected twist and helps new readers get a real sense of their characters and their history.

The complexity of the mystery keeps the reader guessing as there are just so many delightfully villainous characters to choose from in BOARD STIFF! I love how Elaine Viets contrasts the various nefarious dealings with Helen's somewhat naïve outlook as it keeps the reader focused on just how wacky South Florida politics really are in fictional Riggs Beach. The ending is quite nice as it gives us an update on the long-term status of all of the characters, much like you see in non-fiction documentaries.

BOARD STIFF is a thoroughly satisfying murder mystery that makes me interested in reading the eleven prior books in the series. I can't wait to see more of my favorite character in the book, Margery, as her levelheaded approach to life even in the midst of emotional upheaval is quite refreshing. BOARD STIFF definitely won't leave the reader feeling bored stiff for one minute as it is quite entertaining!

Book Summary

Husband and wife PI team Helen Hawthorne and Phil Sagemont won’t be sparing the sunscreen on their latest assignment, but they’re about to find out murder is no day at the beach….

Will the Real Paddleboard Killer Please Stand Up?

There’s a dark cloud over Sunny Jim’s Safety First Parasailing and Stand-Up Paddleboarding business on Florida’s Riggs Beach— especially after one of his clients is killed in a tragic paddleboarding mishap. Sunny Jim is sure it was no accident, and he hires Helen and Phil to find the murderer.

Between cutthroat competitors poaching his territory, the city threatening to revoke his license, a restaurant owner wanting his beach spot for a parking lot, and a wrongful death suit filed by the victim’s husband, Sunny Jim may soon be up the creek without a paddle.

But he does have Helen and Phil on his side, and as the couple start to investigate, they discover dark undercurrents of corruption behind the cheerful facades of the beachfront businesses, as well as domestic secrets. But the sands of time are running out, and if they don’t catch the killer soon, Sunny Jim won’t be the only one to go under….