Knowing that a few pints of Guinness make most things easier to take, Rex begins interviewing the men and women with whom Sabine spent most of her time.  Rex learns that most of the men adored Sabine, but very few of the women did. And he learns that many are surprised that it is Sabine who is dead and not her older, wealthy American lawyer husband. 

The island police are not too concerned with finding out what happened to Sabine, happy to assume she washed out to sea, but something does not sit quite right with Rex who continues to keep his eyes up through the investigation, uncovering many secrets of people who aren’t too covered up to begin with.

Cozy fans will enjoy this twist on a village cozy and will eagerly follow along in Rex’s investigation, which not only solves Sabine’s case, but also solves the case of a murderer with a fondness for jewels.  Rex is an enjoyable character, who soldiers on, though a bit uncomfortable with his current surroundings. 

The resolution may be surprising to some readers, but others may wonder why it was not something Rex considered from the beginning.  There are enough suspects and suspicions to go around, but as always, careful reading will win out.  As for Rex, he is being pursued by the lovely Helen whom he met on his last case, but is distressed not to have heard from his journalist girlfriend who is undercover in Iraq, maybe more undercover than Rex would like to think. 

A solid choice for traditional mystery fans, Murder in the Raw provides some new twists on something old and familiar.                                                  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry