When the ending doesn't work...

This afternoon I finished a book by one of my favorite authors, but I cringed.  The ending didn't work!  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A while back, Ann Gabhart published the first book in her Hidden Springs Mystery series, Murder at the Courthouse.  I enjoyed her foray into writing a mystery.  The second book in the series was published, Murder Comes by Mail, was again a fun read!  So, I looked forward to the third book in this series when I discovered it was set to come out this spring!  Murder No Accident followed right along with the main character, Michael.

As the deputy sheriff in Hidden Springs, Michael has a pretty calm life--except the occasional murder.  There is his Aunt Lindy, the matriarch of the town, and the lawyer next door who is the grandfather of the girls he's loved since he was a kid.  The book can be read alone, but you get to

know the characters over the course of the trilogy.

In this third book, Murder No Accident, of course there is a murder that Michael must solve.  At first, he wants to believe it is an accident, but as the story goes on Michael realize that it wasn't an accident.  The story moves slowly and only picks up the pace at the very end.

But, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two.  I recommend the first two heartily! They are fun to read.  My enjoyment of this book, though, was diminished by the ending.  The way I read the ending someone was guilty and the response of the characters didn't make sense to me.  Then, the very, very ending of the book seemed out of character for it.  It sounded like Ms. Gabhart's other books, but not this one.  Her writing style has been different in these mysteries and I have enjoyed it.
I was so puzzled by these two things.  The climax and ending of a book can make or break it, in my opinion.  In this case, the book wasn't the same for me after I had finished the ending.

If you're looking for a fun, pretty wholesome mystery that isn't very graphic, I'd highly recommend this series!  But, I'd also recommend sticking with the first two books of the series and not the third.

Please note that I received a copy of this book for review from Revell books, but these opinions are very much my own and how I felt after reading the book!