After discovering the body of the woman she blames for her brother’s death, an aircraft mechanic must prove her innocence and unravel a deadly aviation conspiracy before the stalker who tried to kill her once returns to finish the job.
Murder in Plane Sight (A Sierra Bauer Mystery Book 1)
By julieholmes
In this strong debut novel, Julie Holmes introduces us to Sierra Bauer, an airline mechanic who uncovers the body of the woman she blames form her brother’s death. The author is clearly knowledgable of the airline industry, and also knows how to twist a good mystery into an intricately-layered plot. There are multiple characters, multiple motives, a shady stalker, and a dedicated cop who finds himself falling for Sierra while protecting her. Both Quinn and Sierra are excellent characters and their romance serves to further enhance the mystery.
Sierra is particularly strong, having to overcome obstacles in a field dominated by men. She is focused and determined, but she also harbors shadows in her past, that resurface to haunt her. Holmes does a fabulous job of tying up all the loose ends when the conclusion rolls around, while weaving in several surprises along the way. An excellent start to a new series.
Author Julie Holmes’ has created a strong debut novel with Murder in Plane Sight. Sierra Bauer is an airplane mechanic who discovers a body in the “hell hole” of a Dash-8 aircraft. Airport police detective Quinn Moore is sent to investigate.
When Quinn learns the victim’s identity, he discovers Sierra knew the person and blamed her for her brother’s death a year earlier. Against regulations, he brings Sierra into the investigation even though she’s on the suspect list. Hence the amateur sleuth.
However, this is not your typical cozy mystery. The crime, although not “shown” in the book is violent. There is also sex and language that aren’t typically found in cozies.
The storyline is compelling, and if you can get past the technical details of airplane mechanics, the action picks up and brings about a satisfying ending. I suspect we’ll be seeing more of Sierra in future novels.
I’ve been waiting for Ms. Holmes debut novel and wasn’t disappointed! I love a good mystery, but along with that, there was romance and a strong female character. Sierra being an airline mechanic was fascinating and I enjoyed learning some of the details of what goes into keeping a plane flying. Those elements really brought Sierra to life for me, along with the burdens she carried from her past. The detective, Quinn, who was investigating the murder, was flawed from a past relationship. His determination to find the truth, even with his attraction to Sierra, made for an interesting internal conflict. I liked the chemistry between Sierra and Quinn, but I kept hoping they would take better care of themselves–sleep more. To find out what would happen next, I’d stay up way past my bedtime and end up being just as tired as the characters. I look forward to the next book in this series and recommend this new author.
Great Debut Novel!
I love romance and I love mystery. How could I not be happy with a book that delivers both?
In this debut novel by Julie Holmes, we meet Sierra Bauer, a talented airplane mechanic in a male-dominated world. This character is multi-faceted and complex. Not only is her career an unconventional choice, she has a dark and tragic backstory that makes the reader really feel for her. Then her past and present collide in the form of a murder mystery that jeopardizes her future.
Detective Quinn Moore is tasked with investigating the murder, and Sierra’s name keeps coming up at every turn. His gut tells him she didn’t do it, but can he trust his instincts when his heart seems to have an opinion of its own? He has his own sad backstory that tortures him, and that made him irresistible to me. Apparently to Sierra, too.
I’m not sure if I tore through the pages so fast because I wanted the answer to the mystery or because I wanted to see if they got together. I won’t reveal the answer to either, but I assure you the characters aren’t the only reason read this novel. The plot is an intricately-woven thrill, and the author did a fantastic job of making airplane maintenance understandable to this layperson—and how it fits into the mystery was exciting to watch unfold.
Kudos to the author for soaring sky-high in her debut work.
A strong debut mystery novel with a unique protagonist and a romance that complicates the investigation.