Estela Nogales is taking a walk with her dogs when the house of her neighbor, Will Rosenblum, catches fire in Fire at Will’s by Cherie O’Boyle. A resident of one of about 20 houses in the small community of Arroyo Loco along the California coast, Estela helps to get the fire extinguished, but soon someone finds a gas can close to the house, so it looks like arson. Then the volunteer fire department members found a body inside the building, lying on the bed and burnt to a crisp. Will must have been either dead or unconscious when the fire was set.
Because Estela was walking her dogs, two sweet border collies, Shiner and Scout, near Will’s house around the time she comes under suspicion by some in Arroyo Loco, so she has incentive to look into the case. The day after the fire, her neighbor Sunshine gets a strange envelope that contains photographs of their neighbor Wally fondling the young girl Sophia, infuriating the community and making them certain that if Wally is a pedophile, he must be the arsonist. But Estela has to investigate to find the truth.
I really enjoyed listening to Fire at Will’s and not just because I know the area where the book takes place nor because I was thrilled with Estela’s devotion to her Giants cap. The book has a lot of fun humor to it, not laugh-out-loud humor, but the clever humor of a witty narrator. For example, Arroyo Loco has the craziest homeowner’s association, where locals are required to attend meetings and sit in a circle, but in which there are rules against rolling one’s eyes, lifting one’s eyebrows, or otherwise expressing disapproval of activities. The association has a committee on what changes one may make to one’s home, with just one voting member. And everything seems to be banned.
I enjoyed the storyline of this book, with fun details of Estela’s investigations and adventures. The mystery has some interesting points to it, though it didn’t keep me in as much suspense as I might expect, as I was able to guess at least part of the murder solution. But the fun of the book is less in the actual mystery than in its journey. The trip taken by Estela to find the solution and understand what is truly going on becomes fascinating and drew me into the story.
The book is narrated by Estela, the first cozy mystery I can think of to be narrated and maybe even to focus on a Latina or even a Latino. I further appreciated the fact that this Latina is well-educated as a psychologist. She gives insight into real situations, such as the way an abused wife gets slowly sucked into her husband’s clutches or what experts think about pedophilia. The book concludes with a message about the value of friendship and the need for those in the community to support each other, as well as the fact that everyone has secrets from her or his past.
I really appreciated the various characters whom we meet in Arroyo Loco. Each one has unique features, showing great diversity among the residents. We see the diva Helen, the European baker Freda, the scary Delia, and the always cheerful Sunshine. It shows how true community consists of people who support each other, despite their differences.
Hillarie Mukavitz aptly performs the audiobook of Fire at Will’s with a highly believable Latina accent. She truly seems to embody the character of Estela as she performs this book. She uses not just the Latina accent for Estela but also an Anglo accent for other characters and a German(?) accent for Freda, the European baker in the community.
I had a great experience listening to Fire at Will’s and traveling life alongside Estela. I enjoyed her community of Arroyo Loco and everyone Estela connects with, including the teen whom we first meet when he comes to her aid when she gets stuck in a canyon behind her house. This book is much more than a mystery, but rather an experience in life, albeit a slightly strange one. I give this book four stars.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author through Audiobook BOOM, but that in no way affected the content of my review.
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