The Forty-Year Grudge, by Liza Tully (REVIEW) — A Weekend of Memories, Margaritas... and Unfinished Business

When Olivia Blunt—assistant to the World’s Greatest Detective—spies a reunion invitation in boss Aubrey Merritt’s office mail, she’s ecstatic.

Surely her stern boss will jump at the chance to hang out—and maybe even let loose a little—with the sorority sisters she hasn’t seen in four decades... right?

Instead, the older woman promptly dashes Olivia’s hopes, declaring she most definitely does not plan to attend such annoying silliness.

Several days later—after a visit from the husband of an old sorority friend—Merritt has changed her tune, though... and expects Olivia to accompany her.

Why? Because the man’s wife—a retired Brigadier General who surely made many enemies during her career—is hosting the reunion at their New Mexico ranch... and has received a death threat.

Handwritten, on the back of one of the invitations.

And just like that, the unlikely detective and her (still frequently-disappointing) assistant are desert-bound, in Liza Tully’s follow-up to last year’s first book in the series—The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant [see review here]—with The Forty-Year Grudge.

The reunion—aside from that threat—starts off more or less what Olivia expected of a small gathering of women in their sixties.

Aside from the highly-decorated and imposing (but surprisingly jovial) General Battersea, the group also consists of an author, a renowned scientist, a headhunter, a former middle school science teacher, and a therapist (plus three husbands and one adult son).

Activities during the first day, followed by a noisy and gossipy dinner—with flowing sangria and margaritas—at night. 

Oh, and one very heated argument, between two of the sorority sisters.

By the next morning? One of the seven sisters has been murdered.

And just like that, The World’s Greatest Detective is, unhappily, on a case she never wanted... to the consternation of the local sheriff.

With only her Just-Okay Assistant whom she can completely trust.

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The Forty-Year Grudge is a fun (and frequently hilarious) continuation in this clever series, and I loved every minute of it.

The situation is fantastic on so many levels. Taking the New Yorkers out of New York and plunking them in the middle of a snake-, scorpion-, (and heaven knows what else) infested desert. Getting a motley group of women who haven’t seen each other since college together... when the only thing that still connects them is long-ago memories. 

And, of course, throwing a murder into the mix.

Did I see all the twists? Nope, not even close. 

Does the mystery have layer upon layer? We’re talking a geologist’s dream, here.

Of course, the heart of this series will always be the relationship between the detective and her assistant. Their pairing still feels fresh, as a Jones-Generation Boomer continually rolls her eyes at the Gen Z assistant she’s taken on... but sometimes, also (metaphorically) gives her a little pat on the back.

(Just a quick one, mind you.)

I’ve only just finished The Forty-Year Grudge, and already I can’t wait for the next installment. 
~GlamKitty

[My sincere thanks to Berkley Publishing Group, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]