A review by almond_cheese
Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock by Emily J. Edwards

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock is the third book in this Girl Friday series.  Opening on NYE, Viv and her now-fiancé Tommy witness a murder in an alley but are unable to catch the murderer when he gives chase. They run a parallel investigation to the official police investigation, trying to suss out the murderer. Plus they have three other cases at the P.I. office - a potentially cheating wife who they need to tail, a man being extorted by a coding criminal, and a missing banker.  Can they solve all of the mysteries and keep their relationship on track?

This is a quick lighthearted novel, satisfying as usual. I like the characters and the slang from the ‘50s cracks me up! I like that a more personal side of Viv is shown, as we are more deeply into her relationship with Tommy. The cases involved lots of fun witnesses and interviews, and of course there is always drama at the boarding house!