Hot Grudge Sunday is the second book in the Paco and Molly mystery series. The loveable sleuths met and fell in love in Locks & Cream Cheese, and are now on their honeymoon. They are joining the Vermilion luxury tours in Denver, Colorado for a two-week scenic trip through several Western states.

The tour includes stops at numerous tourist sites such as Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, and the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, and ends at Scottsdale, Arizona. The newlyweds will then return to their Maryland home.

Ray Symington is the Vice President of sales for Indent Machine Tool Company (IMTC). He and his wife, along with a number of IMTC’s regional sales managers and their spouses, are on the tour. Ray is brusque, rude, and hated by those who work with him. His boss wants him to bond with his sales managers so he has challenged Ray to complete the trip or leave the company.

From the beginning, a series of unexplained accidents unsettle the travelers. The incidents cause Ray to think someone is out to get him. When the events intensify, out of fear he asks Paco to investigate.

Reluctant to help such a boorish individual, especially as Paco and Molly are on their honeymoon, Paco finds he must step forward when the incidents become bolder and more dangerous.

Rosemary and Larry Mild wrote Hot Grudge Sunday. Working in tandem, the authors created scenic vistas, lively characters, and enough plot twists and tension to carry the reader swiftly to the finish. Although many in the cast of characters resort to negative behavior, there is an underlying understanding of their predicament and their actions. Even the worst character somehow appears socially redeemable.

Although the tour progresses on a straight timeline, the authors mix enough back-story in along the way that the reader sees the motive behind the incident, but does not always recognize the perpetrator. Be sure and have an atlas at hand to follow along with these travelers as they proceed from one stop to another. Those who have traveled through the Western states will have a great time remembering their own past trips.

The authors provide enough clues to keep readers in the know to a point, but also, as the tension builds, they smartly withhold who the main perpetrators are until the unexpected ending. Much of the fun and the mystery of Hot Grudge Sunday is the number of people who want to cause Ray harm, what motivates their actions, and who, in the end, really gets his or her just dues. Join Paco and Molly on their honeymoon for one wonderful, luxurious ride!