This is a really good book for what it is. And it's a shocking reminder of the quality of writing and storytelling you used to get out of "supermarket" paperbacks. Low rating is because the 90s racism reads more like 70s racism and while the solution was believable the book left it until the last 5 pages to the point where it felt like a random plot bandaid

This should have been 250-300 pages shorter. It got way too repetitive in the middle which severely slowed down the pacing of this book. I got really annoyed with reading it because it felt like reading the same 2 chapters over and over again. We start off right away with Jackson Wilde the televangelist being murdered, and lots of theories on who did it - the son, the wife/stepmom (who was having an affair with her stepson), Claire, Yasmine, or some other unsub? But then once the focus of the investigation shifts to Claire, that's where everything breaks down. It just became 1. Cassidy finds evidence. 2. Cassidy confronts Claire. 3. Claire lies. 4. Cassidy catches Claire in the lie. 5. Cassidy accuses Claire of murder. 6. Claire neither accepts nor denies the accusation. 7. Evidence isn't strong enough to indict/arrest Claire. Rinse and repeat steps 1-7 about 15 times. Do it once or twice, but after the second time I just felt like it was being drug out unnecessarily. 
Then, because Sandra spent so much time doing that, she jam-packed everything into the last 80 pages. I'd already skimmed ahead when I was in the middle to see if the ending was going to be worth the slogging, so I knew who did what but not why, and I will say that by the time I got there in the book, it was unsatisfying and felt like a big letdown for what you have to go through to get there.

Also, this was written in the early 90s and I was troubled by the stereotypes she used for Yasmine's character. Like the voodoo, referring to her skin as shades of various types of coffee multiple times or as an "African queen" just felt very uncomfortable. I get it was a "different time" but that didn't stop it from being cringe worthy. 

if you’re looking for a mystery where you seriously can’t figure out who killed who then this is your book. p.s. there is enemies to lovers smut and it’s tasteful