This book is the first in a series about the titular character, Poppy Fields. Poppy is a lot like me. She is the wealthy 23-year-old daughter of a famous actress, has a ton of Instagram followers, loves to shop, and is recognized everywhere she goes. And she learned Krav Maga self-defense and how to shoot a gun with ace precision from her Army Ranger dad. Okay. She’s nothing like me. Whatever. Anyway, like many young women, Poppy has an on-again-off-again boyfriend, Jake. Unlike most other women, it turns out Jake becomes 100% “off” when Poppy wakes up hungover only to find him dead from an apparent drug overdose. Don’t do drugs, kids. While Poppy is grieving the loss of Jake, her friend asks if she’d be up for doing a quick photo op at a resort in Cabo San Lucas. And, since nothing helps mourning the loss of one’s bae like the Mexican sun, she accepts.

Here’s where the story really kicks into gear, as a guy named Javier – who just happens to be the second-in-command of a drug cartel – takes a creepy interest in her (or is the interest actually in her mega-star mom?). And a Mexican telenovela star who visits her villa winds up dead. And the police confiscate her passport. And a cute chihuahua named Consuela enters the scene. This book has it all: kidnapping, drug cartels, poor decisions, gunfights, and a chihuahua. And it covers all of this as a cozy mystery – fast-paced and predictably fun without gruesome detail sex or violence. Time and place for that, people. Time and place. 

Speaking of time and place, let’s talk about the connections the book makes to its location, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Poppy’s time in Mexico starts at the five-star resort that has agreed to give her a villa for a week in exchange for her presence in the photo ops showcasing the resort’s grand opening. With this, the location descriptions have much to do with some basic descriptions of sand, sunsets, and ever-flowing alcohol. This is actually pretty much it in terms of linking to location, though it’s not necessarily a bad thing as sitting poolside in a resort is what a lot of people will do in Cabo. There is mention of Sinaloa, across the gulf from Cabo, when the cartel is talked about and Poppy winds up at the cartel leader’s posh hideaway (complete with a mini zoo of sorts), but overall you’re not getting much about the Mexican culture or landscape with this book. It’s really just going to be a nice beachside/poolside read that won’t require much careful attention as you refill a drink or watch vendors hawk their goods along the ocean front.   As I noted at the start of this review, this is the first book in a series starring the main character. Published in 2018, there are now eight books total (and counting?), which in itself speaks to the popularity of Poppy and her potential as a star in her own right. Even better is that, if you wish to continue with her, you also get to continue your travels, as the subsequent books in the series take place in Paris, New Orleans, London, Egypt, Grand Cayman, Greece, and then Turkey.  I have yet to read any of the others, so I can’t say whether they can be read out of order but given how quick/easy of a read this one was, there isn’t really a need to skip any. As Quando Rondo says, “just keep going.”