Her First Mistake (Noelle Marshall)

Her First Mistake by Kendra Elliot is one of Detective Noelle Marshall’s origin stories. Before she became a detective, she was a bartender who then married a wealthy politician. This is the story about how that politician, Derrick Bell, was murdered in his own home.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the way the author developed Noelle’s character as if the reader didn’t know who she was. This allowed the reader to understand Noelle’s family background and the struggles she had before she became a detective. The character of Derrick Bell is your stereotypical handsome, wealthy guy who becomes a complete jerk after Noelle marries him. As we see their relationship start to fall apart, Noelle is faced with the decision of whether to stay with her husband or not. When he’s murdered, she, of course, becomes the number one suspect.

Although the book started strong with excellent character development and clues as to who could have murdered Derrick, I found myself getting bored as the case became cold. Then, I felt that I was thrown back into the story, and all of a sudden, the killer is revealed. The book is messy at the end, and I wish the author had chosen a different route for the reveal.