A Conundrum

Title: A Conundrum
Author: P.J. Peacock
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-52451-752-6
Pages: 254
Genre: Adventure/Mystery

Reviewed by: S. Marie Vernon

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Pacific Book Review

A Conundrum is the first book in a trilogy of adventurous mysteries written by P.J. Peacock. Perhaps the expression made famous by Winston Churchill best describes this tantalizing story that spans several hundred years. It’s a definite, “conundrum wrapped in a mystery and buried in an enigma.” I do expect the conundrum, the mysteries and the enigma will eventually be solved.

Gabriel and Martin are secret investigators for the family. But, it’s a complicated family; a family with far reaching “tentacles like an Octopus.” The family tree looks like a “combination of European Monarchy and the Sicilian Mafia,” with plenty of vivid and ruthless characters that take care of their own. They’ve operated this way since the seventeenth century and show no signs of stopping now. “They live on all continents and they head multi-national companies and senior members of the family are high in administration or on the Board of Directors. They speak French, German and Czech languages.” James had wanted to get as far away from them as he could. He was a good man, a man with more integrity who only wanted a safe and carefree existence for his family. Years ago, James moved his wife and children from Europe to Sydney, Australia and built a successful business exporting native flowers and plants from around the world.

Secretive and deadly, several of the family members have come from France, Prague and Perth to gather in Sydney, Australia to search for clues to the murder of James Caruso-Kern. Could this hit really have come from within the family? If so, how did this get past Gabriel and Martin? And what about those two old books? What’s in them? Something that could inspire a murder of a good father and businessman? The story moves fast and furious, but you will want it to slow down so you can savior the fascinating love stories between elders, Meredith and Justin and the younger, Gabriel and Bebe. The family appears to come together, if only for a moment, despite their constant feuding and being suspicious of each other. They do need to cooperate if this murder is going to get solved any time soon. They need to hurry before anyone else falls prey.

A Conundrum and the mysteries will continue, I suspect, throughout the trilogy. Although the contradictions are endless, the author did a good job holding my attention with drama, danger, adventure, mystery and his romantic chapters. No doubt the second and third book will not disappoint and I believe his lovable, yet sometimes unscrupulous characters will prolong the A Conundrum and the mysteries until the very end as they do in this delightful first book of P.J. Peacock’s trilogy. If you like a tantalizing mystery wrapped in drama and bittersweet romance grab book one, A Conundrum, and stay tuned for the two sequels. It’s that good.