Calamity in Costa Rica

Calamity in Costa Rica 

Calamity in Costa Rica is the latest short story to be checked off my to be read list. It is the second story in a three part series called Victims on Vacation. It is also the third short story from author Langley Gray. I first discovered her when I read Murder at Mosswood Lake, and absolutely loved it. This made me want to binge read everything she’s written. 

I’m slowly making my way through all of her short stories now, and they are a lot of fun so far. I’m very glad that I discovered her writing.

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I’ve been making it a point to utilize my Kindle Unlimited subscription more than I had previously, and it is actually a really good way to discover new authors. It can be like a treasure hunt, some good and some bad. But in this case, I am so glad that I discovered Langley Gray. Her stories are fun, and perfect if you’re in a reading slump and need something simple to get you back into reading and enjoying it again. 

Short stories like this are also perfect if you enjoy reading before bedtime. If you’ve ever played the “just one more chapter” game, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. 

Have you read Calamity in Costa Rica? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Calamity in Costa Rica 

A vacation to die for…

Leigha Plunkett came to Costa Rica for zip-lining, sun, and fresh-squeezed juice—not to stumble over a dead body.

Fresh off her paralegal certification and riding high from a headline-making crime she helped solve in Cabo, Leigha’s ready to relax with her journalist boyfriend… until a fellow tourist turns up mysteriously dead. The authorities call it an accident. Leigha’s instincts say otherwise.

As secrets unravel and a fugitive’s past resurfaces, Leigha finds herself tangled in a real-life case with deadly stakes—and no vacation itinerary to guide her. With danger lurking behind paradise’s palm trees, Leigha must decide: play it safe, or chase the truth?

Sun. Sand. Suspicion. Welcome to your next favorite getaway mystery. 

Thoughts on Calamity in Costa Rica 

In Curtains in Cabo, our main character, Leigha, meets a man who helps her. I wanted to know if they ended up together, got married, or went their separate ways, but that part was left out. I also was curious about how Leigha’s world looked post-vacation. 

Leigha and Calvin were gifted a vacation from her mother, complete with every detail and experience being planned out by her mother. Except that finding a dead body and solving a murder were not part of this plan. At least not the way her mother planned it out. 

I’m really happy that my questions about Leigha’s future and growth were answered here. But past that, I struggled to really get into the story. I wasn’t invested in it the same way I was with the previous two stories I’ve read from Langley Gray. 

I’m also grateful it was a short story, because I was able to read it all the way through without any problems. But it was a little on the bland side for me. Nothing actively drove me to continue reading. This isn’t a terrible thing, given it was a short story. I could still finish it and find out what happened in the end and who the culprit was. But if it was a full novel, it may have been a do not finish, just based on the pace of the story and not being invested. I wanted to be invested in the characters and wanting to know the answers too. 

Final Thoughts on Calamity in Costa Rica 

I’m calling Calamity in Costa Rica a three star read. There was nothing actively or egregiously wrong with it. It just wasn’t my favorite because I struggled to be invested in the characters and what was going on. 

This is the third short story from Langley Gray that I’ve read, and once I was done, I went back to read other reviews. They’re all really positive. I think my personal problem here is that I’m comparing the stories I’ve read before to this one. I thought Murder at Mosswood Lake was perfect, it sucked me in and I was invested all the way through. 

This one just didn’t encite the same reaction from me. This annoys me. Because I think if I had gone into this one blind, it may have had a higher rating. Instead, I end up comparing my favorites to everything after that. 

I’ve done the same thing when reading Ryan Hyatt’s stories. I have my favorites, and everything else is compared to that from there. I struggle with not doing this. Anybody else have this issue? I’m not always the most impartial judge when it comes to authors I’ve read a bunch of. 

So, keep this in mind when reading my review. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt, and give Calamity in Costa Rica a try. Most reviewers have loved it, and I’m the odd one out. You may very well love it as much as most other readers. 

This isn’t going to stop me from reading the third book in the series, or reading more of Langley Gray’s writing. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I’m still a fan, and plan to tell you about more of her stories in the future. 

Discussion 

Have you read Calamity in Costa Rica or any other stories from author Langley Gray? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Langley Gray was squarely the main character of her life as she traveled the world working in fashion, film, and finance until she was lucky enough to share the page with her own male protagonist. Three kids and a house in the suburbs later, she decided to add some adventure back into #thatminivanlife by pursuing her dream of writing fiction.

She draws on her degree in psychology to shape (read: torture) her characters and is a ghostwriter for cozy mysteries and children’s books on the side.

In her spare time, she is intensely interested in all paddle sports and thinks if she drinks just one more cup of coffee, she can solve all of life’s mysteries.  

Purchasing Calamity in Costa Rica 

• If you are interested in buying the Kindle version of Calamity in Costa Rica, click here.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from Langley Gray 

Did you enjoy my review of Calamity in Costa Rica? Need another great story from Langley Gray? Here are my favorites! 

• Murder at Mosswood Lake
• Curtains in Cabo 
• Calamity in Costa Rica 
• Malice in Amalfi 
• Knocked Scentsless 
• Scent Packing 
• Not So Innoscent 
• Eau De Death 
• Fragrant Violation 
• Falling Under Love 
• The Flyaway Bride 
• The Peak of Love 
• Say Everything  
• The Santa Conviction 
• Love Under the Northern Lights 

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