Point of View

The novel is written in first person from the limited perspective of Lila Macapagal. She has returned to Shady Palms after living in Chicago for a few years, and she becomes caught up in a mystery that she sets out to solve in an effort to save herself, her family, and the family business. The reader is limited to what Lila knows, which is a common way for a mystery writer to preserve information until the final twists at the end of the story. For example, Lila knows the man who runs Java Jo's, but she knows very little about him. Kevin came to Shady Palms less than two years ago, but Lila does not know that his sister – the previous owner – died of an overdose because of drugs provided to her by Derek. The fact that Lila does not know anything about Kevin allows...