Cassie manages to keep her head above the fray and begins to enjoy being a celebrity, mostly for the matron golfers who play through. Without best friend Laura to keep her grounded and with sometimes love interest Mike preparing for a golf tournament in Scotland (with Laura as his caddy) Cassie is feeling a little unsure of herself. A few visits to a local psychologist help Cassie put things in perspective.

A dead body near the seventh hole and one of Cassie’s clubs covered with the victim’s blood is about the last thing Cassie expected to find in this bucolic setting. However, it is the unexpected arrival of her estranged, former golf pro father that is about to put her over the edge. Once and for all Cassie decides it is time to take charge of her life, settle her feelings with her father and Mike and come out from Laura’s mothering ways. If she solves a murder and clears her name while doing all this, so much the better.

Fans will cheer as the sometimes tentative Cassie begins to take charge of her life, confronting her fears, including the father who abandoned her as a young child. Cassie has always been an enjoyable heroine, but her neurosis kept her from being the star she should be. The people at Stony Creek are mostly just there, the women she works with are the type one might expect to find playing recreational golf, and the men the usual good old boys.

Cassie’s friends Laura, Joe and Mike have all well developed personalities and now it will be interesting to see how they interact with the Cassie who is surer of herself.

There is plenty of golf lore and lingo to entice even those who have never played a round of miniature golf. Issues, such as environmentally friendly recreation areas and women breaking through the old boys network are always timely, but have a twist applied in a golf course setting. The murder develops an interesting turn and while there are plenty of motives for the murders, readers may be surprised at the solution as they see the plot slowly unfold.

A thoughtful mystery with a newly energized heroine and a very appealing setting will find golfers and non-golfers thinking about shooting 18 holes, or just sitting back and relaxing while they watch Cassie and her friends.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry