Review: Stiff Penalty by Annelise Ryan

Expected publication: February 24, 2015
by Kensington Books

Assistant Coroner Mattie Winston has her hands full in Stiff Penalty by Annelise Ryan. This is book six in the Mattie Winston mystery series. There are 3 mysteries in the book that run concurrently. One is the mystery of who is calling her and hanging up. The second is who is following her. And the third is who killed the high school math teacher Derrick Ames with a barbecue fork through the heart. And to top it all off, Mattie is pregnant.

Hurley and Richmond are the main characters that work with her. They are both police. Hurley is also her love interest. And she has to find a way to tell Hurley she is pregnant before someone else does. 

On her way home one evening, Mattie is shot at by an unknown assailant. As a result, she ends up with constant police protection for pretty much most of the book. 

Why did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? The format was a little confusing. Part of it is told directly and part of it is told to her psychiatric counselor. Sometimes the transitions are rough. The other reason it gets 4 stars instead 5 has to do with my opinion of the ending. I wasn't as satisfied as I could have been, but it is still a good ending. It is definitely open to another  book in the series.

It gets 4 stars because the characters are well developed and interesting. The plot is good and moves well. There is humor. And the writing is good. I would read another book in the series without hesitation. I really liked the Mattie Winston character.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.