Ruby Heart is the second book in the Neve & Egan Cases. I had not read the first one but that did not seem to be a problem as I read book two. Alexandra Neve and Ashford Egan are Private Eyes. Egan is her blind former history professor. The book follows the job they take from Mrs. Hargrave. She had a ruby heart necklace which was a family heirloom. It had gotten stolen when her parents were taken to a concentration camp during WWII. Recently, it had been recovered in an abandoned house and returned to her, but shortly after that it was stolen from Mrs. Hargrave’s home. Mrs. Hargrave believes that not wearing it is bad luck as her mother wore it to her wedding and had a happy marriage and her grandmother as well. She and her son’s wife did not and are now divorced. Since her granddaughter is set to be married soon she wants her to wear it so that she will not be cursed with an unhappy marriage.
The case has 2 crimes that they are trying to investigate – to find out where the necklace went after her parents were taken during the Holocaust as well as to try and find who took it more recently. When Neve’s flat gets ransacked and her mother injured by the intruder, she knows she is on the right track – even though she is not sure exactly what track that is. Will she be able to solve the case and get the necklace back before Mrs. Hargrave’s daughters wedding? With Mrs. Hargrave’s health failing – can she hold on long enough to be reunited with the only connection she has to her parents?
I really liked this story. I love a good mystery and this story had a lot of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had something figured out – I realized I didn’t. Neve & Egan are good at what they do and I really liked their chemistry together as well. I am looking forward to future cases with them!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to participate in the blog tour. I was not otherwise compensated.
Ruby Heart Book Summary:
When elderly client Doris Hargrave informs private investigator Alexandra Neve that her beloved antique ruby heart necklace has gone missing for the second time in a period of over sixty years, Alexandra knows this is no ordinary jewellery theft. The ruby heart is a family heirloom and the only thing that connects an ailing Mrs Hargrave to her parents, who were murdered during the Holocaust.
To solve the case, Alexandra and her business partner, blind history professor Ashford Egan, must sift through obscure Holocaust documents to find out the truth. It’s that way that they learn of a secret World War II-era love affair which could hold the key to all the answers they are looking for. Meanwhile, Egan is under immense pressure from the university to quit his private investigating business, and Alexandra is afraid that a man she trusts will leave her. Again.
When Alexandra begins to receive anonymous threats and her flat is vandalised, this all becomes personal. Knowing that there is someone out there to hurt her, Alexandra vows to find that elusive ruby heart if it’s the last thing she ever does.
Cristelle Comby‘s Bio:
Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, in Greater Geneva, where she still resides.
Thanks to her insatiable thirst for American and British action films and television dramas, her English is fluent.
She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
Ruby Heart is her second new-adult novel, and she’s hard at work on the next titles in the Neve & Egan series.
Katie, I’m glad Cristelle’s mystery kept you on your toes. Thanks for the review and Happy New Year! 🙂