Rebecca's Realtor advises her that no one will want the rink with the murder unsolved, except perhaps as a haunted museum, so Rebecca sets out to solve Mack's murder so she can return to her life in Chicago.

During her investigation, Rebecca has to revisit many of her former friends and neighbors and she realizes they may not have all been as bad as she remembers, though someone was angry enough at Mack to commit murder. Rebecca learns the normally dependable handyman had recently become unreliable, taking money from people and not finishing his work in a timely fashion or at all, angering many friends and business associates.

The new, hunky veterinarian in town, Lionel Franklin, seems to have his finger on the pulse of more than the large animals he cares for and may have information that will be crucial to Rebecca's investigation or possibly to her future.

At first, Skating Around the Law appears like a light, fun mystery with a zany cast of characters. They include Rebecca's randy grandfather, who doesn't let Rebecca's reappearance in his life cramp his style, much to Rebecca's dismay, and Elwood, Lionel's chapeau clad camel who has a personality all his own and is a very good judge of character. As the plot progresses, Rebecca becomes more complex. She, almost unknowingly, begins to reexamine her life in Chicago to which she is so anxious to return, especially when her boss Neil, who is almost delusional about the relationship he imagines he has with Rebecca, shows up in town just as the murder investigation heats up. Rebecca is reluctant to deal with her feelings about her mother's sudden death, even when she moves into her mother's apartment over the roller rink.

Mack's murder takes an interesting twist as it becomes more complicated than it originally seemed. Rebecca is able to sort through the clues, including threats directed toward her, and handily solve the murder. This is a quirky debut that is more than meets the eye and will have readers eager to see more of Rebecca and company.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry