I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Swinging Sixties Mystery, #4

by

Teresa Trent

Return to Camden, Texas, as Dot Morgan becomes involved in a tragic murder mystery.

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction is the fourth book in accomplished author Teresa Trent’s clever and nostalgic Swinging Sixties Mystery series featuring Dot Morgan, the unluckiest stenographer ever, and the unusual and horrific lake deaths of two young friends. Frustrated by the actions and lack of resolutions by the new Camden PD detective, T.J. Bailey, Dot and her fiancé, Camden Courier reporter Ben Dalton, launch their own investigation into the deaths. 

After her job at the radio station, Dot has landed on her feet again, this time working as an administrative assistant at Fielding’s Funeral Home, a long-time Camden institution and family-owned and operated business. With her unfortunate history of finding bodies, she’s not happy to discover that she’s been dubbed the “Camden Curse” around town. But when a coworker turns up dead, Dot feels more than curiosity to find his killer and get justice for the family. She is also balking at setting a date for her impending nuptials, perhaps feeling that decision will make her future all too real. Her newlywed cousin Ellie is struggling to balance her successful business with her imagined vision of what her role as a wife should look like. 

The story gets going right away with the parents of the first young boating accident victim arranging for their daughter’s funeral services. These opening scenes of their grief and the kind responses of Dot’s boss, the funeral home’s owner, are well-drawn and emotional. At Betty Weavers’s services, Dot notes a change in the owner’s son, Henry’s, demeanor and wonders what in his somewhat solitary life has caused this to happen. With Henry’s angry best friend as a chief suspect and several uncooperative witnesses, Dot and Ben seem always to be swimming against the current in their search for the truth. Still, the truth is not about to stay hidden for long. 

Although this book is the fourth Swinging Sixties Mystery, it can easily be read and enjoyed by those new to the series. I recommend I CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION to cozy mystery readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.