Review: Independence Slay (Celebration Bay Mystery #3) by Shelley Freydont

On the Fourth of July, Old Glory is flying high in Celebration Bay—until someone raises a red flag…

With Independence Day fast approaching, Liv Montgomery is swamped coordinating one of the town’s biggest festivals. In addition to the traditional July fourth events, the town stages a spooky Revolutionary War reenactment that can’t be missed. Every year, the ghost of local war hero Henry Gallantine—played by his eccentric descendant of the same name—appears at the top of the family mansion, kicking off the night’s revelries.

But Henry’s annual cameo goes awry after the ghost signals SOS instead of his traditional cue. When Liv rushes to the rescue, she finds Henry missing and a real dead body instead of a fake haunt. Now she will have to hunt down both a murderer and a missing person quickly before unwanted political fireworks ignite and someone else winds up as local history.

*~*~*~*~* Review *~*~*~*~* 

It's always so much fun to visit Celebration Bay!  I love the historical feel of the place, and especially the residents.  They are exactly the kind of people that you'd expect to be living in a town such as this.  In the latest book of this series, Independence Slay invites the reader to help them celebrate the 4th of July - until one of it's residents appears to have been murdered at the hand of an unlikely suspect.  It's up to Liv, a tenaciously enjoyable heroine, to prove the culprit innocent and to nab the true killer before it's too late.

I absolutely adored this story.  I loved that the murder was historically symbolic.  I loved that Liv has such a kind heart that she was determined to prove the innocence of someone who simply could not have committed such a horrible crime.  And I loved the always impeccable comedic timing of the characters in the story.

As always, this series does not disappoint.  It's creative with a great mystery, has wonderful characters, and is very well written.  I cannot wait to see what's in store for Liv and the gang of Celebration Bay in the next installment of the series!  

Rating: 4 stars

I received a paperback copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All conclusions reached are my own.