This is a very emotional book, because it starts with the murder of Li Morris' girlfriend, Amaryllis Coltraine. When Peabody and Eve are called to the scene and realize who the victim is, they're heartbroken on Morris' behalf. We just know that we're going to get at least one "Eve hasn't grown" comments when we review the reviews, but to us, her growth is VERY apparent in this book, especially in the ways she interacts with Morris throughout this whole book.

Eve quickly suspects someone in Coltrane's squad, but in looking into Coltraine's background, they find that before she moved to New York, she was a detective in Atlanta and had a year-long affair with Alex Ricker who is none other than Max Ricker's son, so Eve also looks there as well.

Added to all of this, Eve is also knee deep in bachelorette party stuff for Louise. Some very funny moments with Eve panicking about not having bought a present yet (Roarke helps here by asking Caro what would be appropriate, which is apparently, in Eve's words: "Fuck Wear.") Funny moments as Eve tries to get out of the party by convincing Roarke to stay home from the bachelor party for Charles in Vegas. Roarke refuses, and Eve begs to go with them rather than have to go to a bachelorette party and get a makeover. Roarke counters by asking to see her penis first.

We're all glad though, that Eve stayed because we got some really great moments of Louise's bachelorette party which included not just makeovers, but skinny dipping in the pool, and a whole conversation about what animal their men are in bed.

When another victim is killed, all the main players in the bachelorette party (Eve, Peabody, Mira, Reo, Louise, Nadine and Mavis) form a "Smart Girls" meeting over breakfast and decide who they think the killer is (and they're not wrong).

The theme of this particular book is "friends" and friendship, and that theme plays out in many, many ways in this book, and we really appreciate it. We also appreciate that this book really leans heavily into a concept that is voiced by Peabody in this book: "It all matters...what we leave behind with the people we brush up against."