A two drink pairing for Out of Bounds and 4 out of 5 stars.

This is the 4th book in a series and there are numerous cases to keep track of. These cases involve a plane bombing, a deadly car accident, a suspected murder, and an older murder that initially brings Karen into all of these cases. I did enjoy reading how some of the various cases tied together.

I really enjoy the character development in this series. The friendships Karen has with colleagues and others. The disdain she has for inept investigators, and how she proves some of them wrong.

She also is dealing with grief which I thought was realistically portrayed. As a result of her grief she has insomnia and walks at night. This leads to a friendship with refugees that results in an unique collaboration. This had shown up in the first Karen Pirie novel I read, which was actually the 7th one written, and prompted me to start the series. so it was really wonderful to see the genesis of that.

Beverage Pairing:

The obvious choice is a gin and tonic, as that is Karen's drink of choice. She routinely tries various gins with a friend who also misses and grieves the loss of Phil. I personally am not a huge gin and tonic fan, but for some reason associate that drink with summer. So I propose you enjoy this novel with my summer drink of choice: A nice, cold Portuguese Vino Verde. Both drinks are refreshing, and in my mind, with all that happens in this novel, hope for the future. The hope that summer sometimes brings us all.