A Bad Day for Sunshine

  • Author Darynda Jones
  • Release Date April 7, 2020
  • Publisher MacMillan
  • ISBN/ASIN B07SCRJ2DF
  • Our Rating
  • Reviewed by SJ

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Our Review

Darynda Jones’ A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE is a laugh-out-loud, intriguing mystery set in a quirky, small town filled with characters, good, bad, and—most importantly—fascinating.

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is back in Del Sol after having been gone for several years. Her time spent as a police officer in Santa Fe has barely prepared her for her first day in office when a car runs right through the department building and nearly mows her down.

Sunshine hits the ground running, dealing with a rooster on the run, muffins of doom, a missing convict, and a kidnapped teenage girl. Not to mention keeping an eye on her daughter, a lovely, funny teen who’s had emotional trauma in the past, as well as dealing with the not-quite-an-ex, a man she’s been secretly in love with forever who can’t stand her.

The mystery is well done, with details that enrich the story. The idea of a psychic tie-in that might or might not be real, in addition to the mystery of Sunshine’s murky past (she left Del Sol for a very good reason), keeps the story flowing. The characters are dynamic, and though Sunshine and Auri take center stage, the story wouldn’t be nearly so fun without Levi, Cruz, Quincy, Zee and the others. The banter between Sunshine and Quincy is gold.

A secondary plot involving Sunshine’s teenage daughter dealing with school and emotional issues really added dimension to the story and made the book richer because of it. Cruz, Auri’s crush, is wonderful, unexpected, and almost if not more intriguing than Levi–Sunshine’s angry kind-of-ex.

This is the first of what I assume to be a new mystery series, and I can’t wait to read what happens next. The story is fun, entertaining, and perplexing as you try to figure out who did what. I occasionally had to go back and reread a page, because of the myriad characters, but honestly, the story was so entertaining I didn’t mind.

For mystery fans, a must-read. A definite great beginning for a new series by the always entertaining Darynda Jones, bestselling author of the Charlie Davidson series.

 

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