A Hard Day for a Hangover - Sunshine Vicram #3

 

 

 

 

A Hard Day for a Hangover is the third book in the Sunshine Vicram procedural mystery series by Darynda Jones. Released 6th Dec 2022 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats (paperback due out in 4th quarter 2023). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is such a sarcastic book - honestly more of a slapstick romcom with murder mystery elements. The dialogue is rapid fire and extremely sarcastic throughout even when (in my opinion) it's unwarranted such as discussing murder, abduction, sexual assault, and stabbing. Protagonist Sun, the titular sheriff of her small mountain town,  has more inappropriate intrusive sexual thoughts about potential perpetrators and random passersby than would seem possible or entirely healthy. It's all crotches and abs. 

There's a persistent Sue Grafton vibe and although it's not derivative, it will definitely resonate with fans of Kinsey Millhone and other wisecracking tough gals.

All that aside, the drawbacks for me personally: the rapid fire funny dialogue, the relentless sexy talk, the bitingly sarcastic writing, and the tough-guy action will be pluses for readers who really enjoy romance mysteries with lots of action and fighting. The plotting is tight and the descriptive writing is competent and readable; the author does know her craft. There are several plot threads which entwine more closely throughout this book, culminating in a satisfying denouement and resolution. Most of the plotlines are resolved in this book so it works well as a standalone, but there's a central background theme which arcs throughout this book and the previous ones. That plot theme includes abduction and sexual assault in Sun's past, so readers should be aware of potential triggers. There is an abundance of sexual banter, alcohol, and strongly implied sexual content.

Four stars, likely higher for readers who enjoy humorous romance. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.