Second Time Around by Tina Wainscott is a romantic mystery story with a good dose of the strange and unusual added.

Jennie Carmichael is the wheelchair bound assistant to private eye Sam Magee.  Her self-consciousness about her disability, caused by a car accident, keeps her from living the life she longs to do and most importantly she uses this as an excuse not to tell her boss how she
feels about him.  For years she watches Sam date one woman after another, yet never staying long with any of them.

Then one day Jennie’s life is changed forever.  A careless spillage on the floor outside their office, a loss of control over her wheelchair and an unfortunately placed set of stairs combine to cut short Jennie’s young life.  Sam struggles to save her but cannot reach her in time; the last thing Jennie hears is Sam begging her to stay with him and she regrets only that she never found the courage to tell him that she loved him.

But Jennie is granted a second chance and finds herself back on earth, alive and well and in the healthy body of Maxine Lizbon, Sam’s ex-wife.

A month has passed since Jennie’s death and her passing has taken its toll on Sam.  He blames himself entirely for her death and is determined to give up the business he built.  The joy has gone from his work now his assistant has gone and he is filled with regrets for never making
her a partner in the firm.  He is also slowly beginning to realise that he loved her.

The last thing that Sam needs is his spoilt ex-wife showing up on his doorstep demanding that he help her before giving up the business.

Jennie is thrilled with her new body and is determined that Jennie should be laid to rest for good.  With a new body, name and life ahead of her she is set on making Sam hers.  Being in the body of his ex-wife causes problems but she has a friend in her old room mate and she looks on it as not being that much different from the time she started her new life in a wheelchair.

However, as Maxine she has a whole new set of problems, including the fact that someone is determined to kill her.  Maxine has been divorced from Sam for some years and his now engaged to the annoying Armand who has lots of embarrassing pet names for her and two extremely hostile children who are determined that Maxine will not be brought into the family business.  Each of the three are potentially the one who murdered Maxine and gave Jennie the chance to step into her body.

Unable to break things off with Armand right away Jennie settles into Maxine’s life the best she can.  Against the wishes of her future husband Maxine hires Sam to protect her and to track down the person who is trying to kill her.

Unconvinced at first, Sam soon realises that Maxine is not in her usual state of hysterics and that someone is really out to end her life.

Together Sam and Maxine work to find the murderer before the murderer succeeds again and Jennie loses her second chance at life and her second chance at winning Sam’s heart.

A great mystery story with plenty of plot twists to keep the reader guessing as to who the murderer is.  A romantic reincarnation story with a well thought out mystery plot to keep the reader hooked.

Combine all this with some wonderful characters and Second Time Around is a book that you will want to read a second time to spot all the clues that you missed the first time around.
 

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