7The Lovestruck Detective is a mystery that readers won't put down. It entertains with unforgettable characters who engage readers' emotions from love to hate and admiration to disgust. And its love story -- between a younger man and an older divorced woman with children -- touches the heart while exploring the possibilities in less conventional relationships. The setting is off the beaten path and features magnificent nature and an eccentric small-town community that is both reassuring in its warmth and frightening in its danger. The action takes readers from the fringes of society to ultra-wealthy enclaves.The novel is thought-provoking. Its political and environmental themes and its diverse characters -- ranging from a gay African-American man and his partner to white nationalists -- challenge preconceptions and biases.And, of course, its plot has surprising twists that will frustrate readers hoping to guess who the murderer is.The book is targeted at lovers of mysteries in general, but particularly women readers who like their cup of crime thrills spiked with romance.