Title: Take the Wheel
Author:Denise Grover Swank
Series: Maddie Baker #1
Location: Cockamamie, Tennessee
Main Character: Maddie Baker
Other Characters: Noah, Mallory, Lance, Aunt Deidre, Margarete, Peter, Ernie, Martin, Dawn, Adam, Roscoe, Colleen
Rating: 4
Denise Grover Swank presents a charming, slow-burn mystery featuring a heroine who is both relatable and resilient.
Maddie is rebuilding her life in her quirky hometown of Cockamamie, Tennessee. She returned to care for her aunt, who raised her and now has dementia. To make ends meet, Maddie drives for Uber, but her life takes an unexpected turn when one of her passengers is found dead, drawing her into a murder investigation.
Detective Noah Langley, a former big-city cop from Memphis, has recently relocated to the small town of Cockamamie in search of a quieter life. He arrives to take on his first case, a murder with Maddie as the prime suspect. As the investigation unfolds, long-buried secrets from the town’s past resurface, prompting Maddie to realize that this case may be more personal than she ever anticipated.
Maddie is a relatable and resourceful protagonist. Her challenge of balancing family obligations, financial pressures, and the suspicion cast upon her is convincingly portrayed. The plot offers a well-balanced mix of red herrings and surprises, although some twists are predictable. Some sections of the book felt a bit slow and seemed to drag on, particularly in the middle. I even found myself skipping a few pages to keep moving forward.
I recommend Take the Wheel to readers who enjoy a mystery infused with slow-burn romance and a strong female lead. Although some parts were predictable and there were a few slow sections in the middle, it serves as a well-crafted introduction to the Maddie Baker series, filled with enough intrigue to entice readers to pick up the next installment.
If you have read this book, please share your thoughts in the comments.
Happy Reading!
CozyRom Books & Coffee 