Blood Red

This is the first of the Primavera Blackstone series that I have read.  It took until about halfway through the book before any action began.  Up until that time, author Quintin Jardine, quietly and slowly set the scene for what would turn out to be a double murder.

Primavera Blackstone lives in a small Spanish town.  She is friends with a man who wants to host a wine fair in the town square.  Unfortunately he can't get permission from town council due to one obstinate older gentleman on town council.  Primavera visits this gentleman, who is a realtor, with another friend on the pretense of finding an apartment.  A heated argument ensues.

Shortly thereafter the old fellow is found dead.  Initially it was assumed to have been an accident, then evidence points to murder.  At first Primavera's friend is accused, but when the British embassy steps in on his part, she becomes the prime suspect.  Later, when the body of the Mayor's mother is found in her house, byPrimavera, she needs to escape in order to prove her innocence.  The local priest, whom she is friends with, aids her in her escape to his place in Granada.  From there, she must set out to prove her innocence.

A good read, but unfortunately I could tell that the author was a male trying to be the female narrator, Primavera.