A review by mystereity_reviews
The Bernhard File, by Diana Xarissa

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I liked this one a lot...not as much as the first book, but I did like how puzzling this case was.  A German man, Paul Bernhard,  is killed in a building undergoing construction and despite security being on the scene, the victim wasn't found until later and there were no witnesses.  Why was Paul in NY? Piecing through his destroyed laptop, investigators find that Paul was in contact with an American woman named Maria and the pair bonded over their love for a D&D type game.  The cold case unit starts investigating and manage to glean enough new information for the police to nab the killer.  Although there's less "investigating" than you'd usually see in cozy mysteries, I love how they go about investigating and the plot was really interesting.  And the side plot (there's always at least one) about a trespasser in the holiday cottages next to Bessie's house was really compelling, as was that resolution.  This was a very satisfying read and I enjoyed it almost as much as the first book.